Life at ShinRa
by Talliya
Summary: This is RenoXRude, yaoi, guy on guy stuff. However, all of the really explicit stuff is not being posted here... so there will be chapters missing, you can find them on dA.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any rights to Final Fantasy 7 or it's characters (Neither does Cass).**  
_This is an RP between me and grandpatoenail on dA. There are parts that are up on dA that will not be put here. So if you want the whole story in all its yaoi glory, go there._

Rude: Rude cuddles into Reno.

Reno: Reno cuddles back and smiles, "You work too hard, yo." He kisses the man on the forehead.

Rude: "Don't I know it." The shaded Turk grinned and licked Reno's nose.

Reno: "Hey!" Reno wipes his nose and laughs, "What am I, an ice cream cone?"

Rude: "Nah, yer sweeter than that." Rude's sappy mode has been switched on in his tiredness.

Reno: "Uh yer sleepy aren't ya? The only time you talk all mushy like that is if you've had too much to drink or you need sleep."

Rude: Rude chuckles. "Yeah, I'm tired, you?"

Reno: "A bit." Reno lets out a big yawn.

Rude: Rude kisses Reno's forehead, cheeks and nose before kissing his mouth. "Then I guess it's bedtime," He holds Reno close. "Night." And closes his eyes.

Reno: Reno blushes, "Well someone's touchy feely tonight." He smiles at Rude.

Rude: Rude pretends to be asleep.

Reno: Reno kisses him, "Love you, ya big lug..."

Rude: The overgrown Turk mumbles, "Love you too..."

Reno: "Hm? No fair! Go to sleep!" Reno admonishes with an embarrassed face.

Rude: Rude murmurs, "Am 'sleep."

Reno: Reno made an irked face, "Yer talkin'!"

Rude: "M'not." Rude shifts around a little.

Reno: Reno laughs, "Idiot." He closes his eyes and snuggles into Rude.

Rude: Rude pouts thinking, I am not an idiot.

Reno: Reno is half asleep and pulls Rude closer by his shirt.

Rude: Rude wraps his arms tighter around Reno.

Reno: Now it's Reno's turn to mumble, "Where did I go right...?"

Rude: Rude grins opening eyes to look down at Reno, "Just lucky I guess." He whispered.

Reno: Reno smiles, "Smartass."

Rude: "Go to sleep Reno." Or find something fun to do, Rude thinks to himself.

Reno: Reno's eyes pop open, "Are you serious? I thought you said you were tired."

Rude: "I am tired. I just told you to go to sleep." Rude looks at Reno confused.

Reno: "Or find something 'fun to do.' Thought you were implying something else." Reno scrunched his nose.

Rude: "I was thinking it..." Rude admitted.

Reno: "And people call me a perv." Reno grins.

Rude: "Shut up." He kisses Reno.

Reno: Reno kisses him back.

Rude: "Mmmm."


	2. Chapter 2

Reno: Reno flops back on bed then crawls under sheets like a mole.

Rude: Rude peeks under at the Renomole. "You silly."

Reno: "Hiss! Dun want the light!"

Rude: Rude giggles and tucks Reno in.

Reno: Reno is now a giant bump in the middle of the bed.

Rude: Rude hugs the lump, "Have good sleep love."

Reno: Reno grumbles and acts like an attention whore.

Rude: Rude chuckles, "That's not sleeping Reno."

Reno: The lump cuddles into Rude's shoulder, "Meh..."

Rude: Rude chuckles and lays out on the bed with an arm tossed over the lump, "Yer adorkable."

Reno: "...ya mean adorable...not a dork." Reno's voice floated out.

Rude: "Mmmm, but I thought I wasn't allowed to call you adorable?" Rude speculated.

Reno: Reno remembers and freezes, "...shuddup."

Rude: "Besides, you going to tell me you don't like being compared to a whales penis? Most men would take it as a compliment."

Reno: "What?"

Rude: "I could call you sweetypie, or just sweety..." Rude continued on evilly.

Reno: "You could call me that...if you want a kick in the nuts." Reno affirmed.

Rude: "How about sugar?" Rude hazarded.

Reno: There was silence from the unimpressed lump.

Rude: "I think I'll just call you..." Rude pokes the lump several times, "...love, it works rather well."

Reno: Reno wiggles, "Hey that tickles!"

Rude: "That was the point dear Reno." Rude smooths a hand over the lump, "Go to sleep."

Reno: "No..." Came Reno's flat reply.

Rude: Rude sighed, "Fine, don't then." He rolls over and attempts to sleep.

Reno: Reno snuggles into Rude, "Don't go to sleep and leave me alone!"

Rude: Rude is snuggled against, "Well if you went to sleep with me you wouldn't be alone."

Reno: "Why do you always wanna sleep? There's a lot more to do in a bed. We could build a fort?" Reno suggested.

Rude: "We could, except you're under the sheet and don't want to let in any light. Building a fort would require you coming out." Rude stated.

Reno: "Fine." Reno crawls out and starts making pillow fort.

Rude: Rude chuckles at him and sits up to help.

Reno: Reno smacks him with pillow and grins.

Rude: Rude grins back and grabs up a pillow to pummel Reno with, "Just remember when this is over and you've lost, that you started it."

Reno: "Nonononono!" Reno covers his head with pillow for protection.

Rude: "Cowering already?" Rude hits Reno in the midsection with the pillow before tickling fingers take its place.

Reno: "Hey no tickling!" Reno yelps.

Rude: "You can attack me with a pillow when I'm helpfully building a fort with you, but you're not allowed to be tickled in revenge? Ha!" Rude tickles him a bit more before getting in the bed and hiding under the covers.

Reno: Reno follows him under, "No because I'm...uh...me!"

Rude: Rude glomps on to Reno as he joins him, "I don't think that's a good enough excuse, sorry Red." He rolls on top of Reno, balancing on his arms above him, "You ready to sleep yet?"

Reno: "No!" Reno tries to push him off.

Rude: "I was hoping you'd say that." Rude doesn't budge at Reno's pushing, but leans in and captures his mouth.

Reno: Reno freezes but returns the kiss.

Rude: "Dork." Rude gets up and tucks Reno in again.

Reno: "Hm? I said I didn't wanna sleep."

Rude: "Mhm, I know." Rude gets out of the bed and sits on the floor leaning back against it.

Reno: Reno rolls over, "Why are ya sittin' there?"

Rude: Rude shrugs, "Got nothin else to do, and I'm not the one who has stuff to do tomorrow."

Reno: "Do I?" Reno's eyes were huge.

Rude: Rude shrugged.

Reno: "Tell ya what. You can call me sugar. That's it!" Reno spit out from left field.

Rude: "Aww, but I like Love... Though Sugar amuses me... hmmm." Rude mulled it over for a moment.

Reno: "As long as it doesn't sound like a chia pet it's fine." Reno relented.

Rude: Rude saluted him, "Understood Turk Reno."

Reno: Reno facepalmed. "Are you mocking me with that?"

Rude: "Kind of, but not really." Rude looked over at him sheepishly.

Reno: Reno puffs out his cheeks.

Rude: Rude squishes them flat.

Reno: Reno bites Rude's finger and grins.

Rude: Rude looks at him with his big brown puppy dog eyes and sucks on the wounded appendage.

Reno: Reno takes Rude's hand and sucks on finger himself.

Rude: Rude watches this intently.

Reno: Reno looks up with a smirk, "Heh you like it a bit too much, don't ya?"

Rude: Rude blushes and looks away yanking his hand back.

Reno: "Hey...I was enjoying that..." Reno complained.

Rude: Rude thinks to himself, so was I, but grumbles with his back to Reno still resting against the bed.

Reno: "Gimme." Reno says and takes Rude's hand back to continue sucking on his finger, "Mine now."

Rude: "Hey! Oh is it really now?" Rude rolls eyes and rests head back against the covers, "Dork."

Reno: "Not a dork. You're just up tight." Reno stated primly.

Rude: *doesn't say what first popped into his head and remains silent.

Reno: The redhead kisses Rude's neck, "Why so quiet babe?" Reno covers his own mouth, "NOT A WORD!"

Rude: Rude blinks at him in confusion.

Reno: "Don't look at me like that! It was an accident!" Reno freaks out a little.

Rude: "An accident? What's an accident?" Rude totally has no problem with being kissed or called babe and so is lost.

Reno: "Uh...nothing! ... I just...uh...never mind." He blushes a neat shade of pink.

Rude: Rude turns his head to face Reno, "If it's nothing than why are you blushing?" He tugs on his own hand trying to get it back again.

Reno: Reno lets go of his hand, "Nothing. It's stupid." But he won't look Rude in the eye.

Rude: This gets the man to turn completely, thighs against the side of the bed; he cups Reno's face in his hands. "I doubt it's stupid and it obviously isn't nothing or it wouldn't bother you so much."

Reno: Reno looks away, "I uhh...called y..." He whispers it way too low for Rude to hear.

Rude: "You called who? Reno look at me!" Totally exasperated Rude pecks his nose.

Reno: "I accidentally called you babe! It just came out!" Reno blurted.

Rude: Rude thumps back on his ass laughing, "Reno, that's fine. Unlike you, I'm not bothered by that."

Reno: Reno puffs his cheeks and frowns, "Don't laugh at me."

Rude: Rude leans up and squishes his cheeks again, "Then don't be funny." He stuck his tongue out at him.

Reno: Reno smiles and nuzzles into his hand, "I wasn't trying to it's just I don't let you call me names, but I called you a name and-." He starts rambling.

Rude: Rude kisses him into silence, "It's fine Reno, you can call me whatever you like as long as it's not offensive."

Reno: Reno gets a dazed look in his eyes and a silly smile on his face.

Rude: Rude kisses his cheek and turns to lean back against the bed again.

Reno: Reno rests his head on Rude's shoulder, "Why do you keep turning away from me?"

Rude: "Well, sitting this way's more comfortable. Besides, you seem to be more entertaining this way." Rude gets a sly smirk on his face.

Reno: "What do you mean?"

Rude: Rude shakes his head, "Don't worry about it. You'll understand when you're older."

Reno: "Very funny. How am I more entertaining just because you ignore me?" Reno pouts, "Quit bein' mean."

Rude: "I'm not being mean, and I'm not ignoring you. What do you /want/ me to do?" He turns to look at the cute pouty face.

Reno: "Ok then how am I more entertaining because you turn away from me? I don't get it."

Rude: Rude smiles and shakes his head, settling back down against the bed, "Because of the things you do to get my attention."

Reno: Reno raises eyebrow, "All I did was nuzzle yer hand."

Rude: Rude chuckles, "You did more than that." He closes eyes and rest head against the bed again.

Reno: "What? The finger thing? That was just because I wanted to." He smirks.

Rude: "Not what I was talking about."

Reno: Reno wraps his arms around Rude's neck, "What did I do?"

Rude: "Mmmm." Rude falls asleep in the semi-uncomfortable position.

Reno: Reno laughs, "Hey wake up. If yer gonna sleep, at least get into bed, stupid."

Rude: Rude stands up, mumbles, "Not stupid." And grabs the covers and a pillow from the bed and lays down on the floor. "Hmmph!"

Reno: "What are you doing, yo? Why are you on the floor?"

Rude: "You keep calling me stupid. I don wanna talk to you no more." Rude cocoons himself in the acquired covers and goes back to sleep.

Reno: Reno bursts out in laughter, "Since when does a silly name like that bug you?"

Rude: But Rude is asleep.

Reno: "Hey," Reno makes a sad face and grabs a blanket and pillow then cuddles on floor with Rude and whispers, "Sorry, partner."

Rude: Rude wakes a little as a body snuggles with him and slurs out, "I said nothin offensive..."

Reno: "Yer right. Sorry." *Reno buries his face in Rude's back.

Rude: "Night Reno, love you." Rude goes back to sleep.

Reno: Reno smiles, "Love you too, babe." He snickers.


	3. Chapter 3

Reno: Reno wakes up and pops out from the sheets with super messy hair.

Rude: Rude feels movement next to him but doesn't wanna wake up yet.

Reno: Reno laughs and pokes him continuously.

Rude: "Dun wanna, lemme 'lone." The man rolls over away from the prodding, burying his head further under the covers.

Reno: "Lazy bum." Reno gently scratches Rude's neck.

Rude: Rude shivers slightly, "I'm not lazy." His words slur together.

Reno: "Yes you are" He teased and nuzzled his partner from behind.

Rude: "Mmmm." Rude relaxes into his partner, slowly waking up.

Reno: Reno randomly sprout ears and a tail.

Rude: Finally rolling over Rude see's the newly eared and tailed Reno. "What did you do this time?" He pets Reno's head.

Reno: "What do you mean?" The redhead has no clue what has happened.

Rude: Rude tugs on your ears and sweeps down to bring your tail into sight, "I mean these."

Reno: Reno's face is shocked, "What the hell!?" He falls out of bed.

Rude: Chuckles at Reno, "Did you land on your feet? Or are those canine parts?"

Reno: "It's not funny!" He runs to the mirror and yells back at Rude.

Rude: "That may not be, but your reaction sure is." Rude finally gets out of bed, making it up before stepping behind Reno and wrapping his arms around him. "I'm sure you'll be fine. You haven't messed with Hojo lately have you?"

Reno: His ears flop down, "That bastard gave a shot but he said it was flu prevention and that everyone got one...Did you get one?"

Rude: Rude snickers, hiding his face in Reno's neck. "Nope, didn't get anything of the sort. You do realize that Hojo isn't a medic right?" He kissed Reno's neck before finding his eyes in the mirror.

Reno: Reno covers his ears with his hands, "Why is it always me?" He pouts.

Rude: "Hmmm, I'm beginning to think Hojo might have a little crush on you." Rude glared at nothing in particular, simply imagining strangling Hojo, "His affections however aren't something anybody wants."

Reno: "Bleeeeh! Old man's crushin' on me!" He notices Rude's expression then, "You ok, partner?"

Rude: "Hmmh? Oh, yeah I'm fine." Rude shrugged his expression going back to neutral, "I'm gonna guess it doesn't hurt, since you didn't even notice that it happened." He twines Reno's tail around his fingers.

Reno: Reno shivers, "Don't do that. It doesn't hurt it's just...embarrassing..."

Rude: Rude grins evilly when Reno shivers and continues toying with his tail. "Why's it embarrassing?" He leans in and kisses Reno's cheek.

Reno: "Hey!" He pulls his tail between his legs and pouts, "Yer just enjoying this, aren't ya?!"

Rude: "Aww, I was playing with that." Rude walks over and sits on the bed with a pout.

Reno: Reno flicks his tail, "Quit bein' emo. It's really sensitive."

Rude: "That was the point I think." Rude flopped back onto the bed, "So, should we go ask Lucrecia if she can fix it?"

Reno: Reno lays on his stomach on the bed, "You think I'm gonna let anyone see this?"

Rude: "I'm seeing it." The big man shrugged, "And Dr. L will probably know what to do. Or we could just go and find Hojo and make him undo it. You could wear a hat and Vincent's old duster, they'd hide everything."

Reno: Reno faceplants the bed and groans, "Hm? Do you smell that?" He lifts his head and sniffs air.

Rude: "That depends on what you mean." Rude reached out and grabbed the nearly naked man so he wouldn't possibly follow his nose out the door.

Reno: "Something smells like fish!" He said, licking his lips.

Rude: Rude buries his head in Reno's throat again laughing. "Alright kitty-kitty, get dressed and we'll go find it." Rude gets up and dresses himself.

Reno: Reno gets dressed and puts a hat on, "What about the tail?" He said, flicking it back and forth.

Rude: Rude grabs up Vincent's old duster from his closet and puts it on Reno. "Just wrap your tail around yourself and no one should see it under this."

Reno: "Fine..." He faceplants against Rude's chest, "Fuck my life..."

Rude: "I'd rather fuck you." Rude patted Reno's back, "You'll be fine, come on, let's go find this fish of yours."

Reno: "Not in the mood right now. Plus I get the feelin' yer just turned on by this." Reno smirks.

Rude: Rude looks around abashedly before kissing Reno's nose. "I'm generally turned on when you're around." He opens the door and gestures, "After you kitty-kitty."

Reno: Reno frowns and walks out, "Don't call me that..."

Rude: Rude snorts, "Sure thing Sugar." He follows Reno out the door, closing and locking it behind them.

Reno: Reno's eye twitches, "Let's just find where that smell's comin' from."

Rude: "Okay." He follows Reno.

Reno: Reno follows his nose until he realizes he had been smelling cat food from a woman that was feeding a stray. He blushes, "Not a word."


	4. Chapter 4

Reno: A little later that day he jumps on Rude's shoulders with a big smile, "So what do you wanna do?"

Rude: "Hmmm, well we could go find a cure fer yer tail Kitty-kitty. Or go play chess? Perhaps we could go make mini-bombs and set them up in Hojo's lab?" The shaded man suggested after being jumped on.

Reno: "Mini bombs huh? Sounds good." Reno gives an evil smile.

Rude: Rude grins and heads down to ballistics to get started.

Reno: Reno follows and stares at all the options, "This'll be fun, so what're ya thinkin'? Any idea?"

Rude: "Of course I have an idea. Bombs are my specialty after all!" Rude made a muscle pose before grabbing up some materials and setting to work. "How about you find any spare small pieces of metal lying around Red?"

Reno: Reno facepalms and laughs, "I'll take a look." He searches and brings every little thing he can find back to Rude. "I don't really know how to make one so I kinda just grabbed everything."

Rude: Rude looked up from mixing chemicals together, "That's great, thanks." He grabs up a welder and begins welding bits together into small circles.

Reno: Reno watches intently, trying to figure out how it works, "Uuuhh...hmmm." But remains totally clueless. Then Reno's ears perk up and he asks, "Soooooo...what does what exactly. I only use 'em once they're made."

Rude: "Heh, well first I'm making the container," He held up the rounded metal ball he was making, "Then I'll put the chemical in it." Points to the mixture he'd just finished making. "After that I'll need to make a timer that I can hook up to it and a detonator to remotely set it off. That's the hard part."

Reno: "Huh!" Reno was pretty impressed by Rude's knowledge in bombs. He leaned over and sniffed the mixture only to sneeze at the scent.

Rude: "Reno." Rude shook his head, "That stuff could knock you out, don't smell it."

Reno: Reno had a slight sneezing fit but quickly got control of it. "Bleh! Nasty! The hell's in that stuff?"

Rude: "That's a secret I'm not gonna share Red." Rude chuckled as he started the delicate work of making triggers for the bombs and setting them all to the same controller.

Reno: Reno watched, half expecting it to explode out of nowhere. "So...you sure you know what yer doin'?"

Rude: Rude just gives him a look and finishes up.

Reno: Reno grinned, exited to get to work. "So, now we just plant the bombs in the lab, right?"

Rude: "No, we don't just plant the bombs. Sheesh, have a little more respect." Rude gathered up all of his little bombs and placed them carefully in a nondescript bag. "First we go to Hojo's lab and find good places to stash them that will do the most damage but not hurt anyone. Cause Rufus and Tseng'll skin us if we hurt anyone, even Hojo, who works for ShinRa."

Reno: Reno grumbled with annoyance. "Ok, ok. How was that 'disrespectful'?" he asked and flicked his tail.

Rude: "Bombs are an art dude, you don't just make them and then blow them up."

Reno: Reno gave the other a slightly unimpressed look. "Uhhh. Ok. So let's go find the right spots then."

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes; he didn't expect his partner to understand. Moving down the long hallways they wound their way down to Hojo's lab, "If he's here he's gonna wanna see those ears Kitty-kitty."

Reno: The redhead pulled the hat down on his head and frowned. "Over my dead body!"

Rude: Rude chuckled and slide his keycard to get into the lab, the doors sliding open silently admitting the two Turks. "Be sneaky Reno," Rude said handing him a handful of bombs, "And don't drop them."

Reno: "I won't but where the hell do you want them?"

Rude: "Like I already said, seriously you need a longer attention span, anywhere that they'll be hidden and do a lot of damage when they go off." Rude answered, beginning to move around the other side of the room from Reno.

Reno: Reno frowned and began placing the bombs. "Jer..." He whispered.

Rude: Rude went around placing the bombs, when he was out he looked around at all of Hojo's 'specimens' and noted two that were worthy of being 'messed' with. He let the talking wolf out and shutdown the support to Jenova, which of course set alarms off.

Nanaki: "Well that was smart." The apparently snarky wolf said.

Rude: Rude walked up to Reno, "Hope you're done, cause we gotta go!"

Reno: "What the hell did you do, yo?" Reno froze at the sight of the canine and slowly backed away.

Rude: "The wolf's not the problem, I shut down Jenova..." Rude shrugged and headed for the door.

Reno: "You WHAT? Rude yer such a dumbass!" he yelled and fled as fast as his feet would carry him.

Rude: Once safely back in their room, the wolf included for the moment, Rude's PHS rang. "Yeah boss? No, don't know anything about it. What's Jenova again. Oh an Ancient... but it's that what Aerith is? They're nothing alike man. No, Reno's right here, been with me all day. Yes boss we'll stay in our room while the SOLDIERs figure things out." He hung up the phone and grinned at the two of them.

Reno: Reno stared wide eyed at his partner, amazed the Turk would lie to their boss. "Seriously...?" The redhead quickly jumped on the bed to get away from the wolf.

Rude: "Seriously, what's your problem human?" The wolf asked from its place by the door.

"Yes seriously Reno. Do you wanna get fired? Besides, I can't wait for Seph to find out about Jenova for real. That that 'thing' ain't his mama." Rude came over and sat on the bed.

Reno: "Shuddup!" he yelled at the canine and pulled his legs up to his chest, not trusting it for a second. He continued glaring at it as he slowly moved closer to his partner.

Rude: "Aw is the kitty-kitty afraid of the puppy?" Rude teased his partner as he wrapped an arm around him before addressing the wolf, "What's your name anyway? There were only numbers on your cage."

Nanaki: "I am Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon." The wolf seemed unfazed by Reno's lack of good graces.

Reno: "Don't call me kitty and no I'm not scared...I just don't like him..." He lied.

Rude: "Liar. You have no reason to dislike him at all except for the kitty traits that Hojo so lovingly gave you." Rude kissed Reno's forehead. "Well Nanaki once things settle down here a bit we'll see about getting you back home."

Reno: Reno was flicking his tail back and forth angrily and leaned against Rude's shoulder. "I'm gonna ring that idiot's neck...and you!" he said, pointing at Nanaki. "Don't come within 6 feet of me! Got it?!"

Rude: The wolf simply shook its head and lay down by the door. Rude grinned, "Yer such a whiner Red." He kissed Reno and began playing with the twitching tail again.

Reno: "I am not. I just don't like him and why do you keep playing with my tail?!" The redhead seemed to be getting more and more irritable as things went on. He was becoming very defensive but also noticed he was a bit drowsy. He was guessing it was because cats slept around 18 hours a day.

Rude: "Because I like your tail. Why don't you try to get some sleep, we're going to be here a while." Rude let go of his tail in favor of running a hand through his hair.

Reno: "But I don't wanna sleep." he whispered as he let Rude continue. Reno was enjoying the attention when he got the shock of his life. He purred.

Rude: Rude grinned as he heard Reno purr and laughed when the man jumped a little when he realized he'd done it. "You dork." Rude scratched behind his ears a bit before resuming playing with his hair.

Reno: Reno wanted to tell his partner off for that but shivered when he scratched his ear and lowered his head a bit, loving the feeling.

Rude: Rude simply watched as Reno relaxed into his strokes, it was rather comfortable and the big man began getting a little sleepy himself.

Reno: Reno frowned and looked at Nanaki. "So what do we do with the mutt?" he asked.

Rude: Rude flicked Reno's ear, "Don't be rude Reno. Like I said, once everything's cooled down we'll take him home. In the meantime, I'ma go to sleep." The wolf was already fast asleep on their floor.

Reno: The smaller Turk pouted and laid back on the bed, snuggling into his pillow. "Fine but I'm not falling asleep with that thing in the room."

Rude: Rude smirked and continued running a hand through Reno's hair, he figured that by the time he fell asleep Reno would be asleep as well.

Reno: Reno kept one eye on the wolf at all times because his instincts wouldn't seem to let him relax so close to the canine.

Rude: "Close yer eyes Red. The wolf isn't going to eat you or chase you up a tree, it's sleeping way over there by the door. And I'm right next you. Nothing's going to happen." Rude removed his shades, setting them on the bedside table and then took his boots off before cuddling back up with his kitty.

Reno: Reno sighed and snuggled against Rude's chest. "I know. I can't calm down with him here..." The Turk obviously had too much pride to admit he was a little scared and tried to ignore his fear.

Rude: Rude wrapped the kitty-kitty in his arms burying his face in his neck, "Just hush." And he was out like a light, comfortable and warm with arms full of Reno.

Reno: Reno snuggled in and kept a close eye on Nanaki until he could no longer stay awake and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Rude: Rude woke a couple of hours later with a kitty-Reno sprawled over him. Grinning he maneuvered out from under the redhead and checked his PHS for any info about the diabolical he'd pulled off that day. He had a message waiting from General Sephiroth - cringing he opened it. "Rude, sorry I didn't believe you about Jenova." That was all the message said but it made the Turk smile. He figured everything was pretty much settled then if Seph was sending him texts, he looked over and saw that Nanaki was awake, "You ready to go home?"

Reno: Reno stretched and yawned but didn't wake, as his new 'quirks' caused a few peculiarities.

Nanaki: The canine looked up, "Yes, I've been imprisoned by Hojo for a couple of years now. I can't wait to go home."

Rude: Rude nodded his head, usually Reno would be awake as soon as he moved, apparently his being cat-like was going take more out of Rude than previously expected. Well, as long as he doesn't grow claws I should be safe, he thought leaning over to shake Reno. "Reno love, it's time to wake up, catnap's over. We've got work to do."

Reno: Reno sat up immediately and glared at Rude. "What have I said about pet names?" The redhead noticed Nanaki was awake and slid behind the other Turk.

Rude: "So I'm only allowed to call you Sugar... that's rich." Sarcasm was heavy in Rude's voice. Come on we've got a wolf to take home." Rude stood up and put his boots and shades back on. "Come on kitty-kitty." He wiggled his fingers at Reno as he went to the door.

Reno: Reno groaned and covered his head with his pillow. "He can kiss my ass! I don't wanna help him!" He knew he was being childish but he really didn't want anything to do with the canine.

Rude: "Fine, you can stay here and sleep like the cat Hojo turned you into. But I'm taking your baby an' flyin' Nanaki back home. Laters." Rude wasn't going to put up with it anymore; he opened the door and gestured for Nanaki to precede him before leaving the room.

Reno: "My what?" Reno raised an eyebrow and got up, not wanting to be left behind.

Rude: Rude traveled down the hallways with Nanaki until they made it to the heli pad where he hopped into a sleek black helicopter and began prepping it for departure.

Reno: Reno got dressed and ran as fast as he could. "Whoa whoa whoa! Wait up, yo!" He jumped on and sat next to Rude with a sigh of relief. "Ditched for a dog, huh?"

Rude: "He's not a dog Reno. And you wouldn't be so ruffled by him if Hojo had given you cat traits." Rude continued getting the copter ready then yelled back at Nanaki, "Find a place sit, we'll be there in a couple of hours."

Reno: "I'm not 'ruffled'. And by the way...no one steals my baby." he said, crossing his arms.

Rude: "I'm not stealing anything, I'm using it, not taking it away forever." Rude told him through his headset as he brought the helicopter into the air and headed for Cosmo Canyon.

Reno: "Whaaatever." The redhead leaned back in his seat and watched as the ground got further and further away.

Rude: Hours later Rude landed the chopper just outside of Cosmo Canyon's only 'town'. "Well here we are. Did everyone survive?"

Nanaki gave a wolfish grin, "Yep, I'm good."

Rude nodded and went ahead and opened the door for the wolf, "Make sure Hojo doesn't catch you again alright?"

Nanaki nodded and ran off towards the town. Rude turned to Reno, "Now what should we do love?"

Reno: "You tell me. I thought you had all this planned out." Reno got out of the chopper and stretched his legs. "Man, that took a while!"

Rude: "I had getting Nanaki home planned, but that's about it." Rude got out as well, "All better now that the canine is gone?"

Reno: "Yes. Yes, I am." he said with confidence. He put his hands in his pockets and looked around a bit.

Rude: "Afraid of a hound. I am never going to let you live this down." Rude grinned before walking over and petting Reno's tail, he pouted a bit, "Yer tail's gettin smaller."


	6. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 6 is on dA.**_

Reno: When Reno landed the chopper he was hesitant to get out, not looking forward to the mountain of paperwork waiting for him.

Rude: "Come on Red, with both of us at it it'll be over in no time." Rude licked his partner's lips before sashaying out of the helicopter.

Reno: The redhead smirked and hopped out, following his partner to the office.

Rude: Rude didn't care about the stain on his shirt until Elena pointed it out, then the nearly black man turned red. "I'll be back Red, you get started." He went back to his room and changed his cloths before heading back to the office.

Reno: "What was all that about?" he asked, astonishingly already half way through the paperwork.

Rude: Rude smirked and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Cum shirt is obvious." He sat down in the chair next to Reno, "Looks like you've got most of it done already. Motivated much?"

Reno: Reno laughed and held his side. "Oh shit. Anyway, it's not motivation. I could do this any time. I not stupid, I just get bored easily. I just wanna do funner stuff." he explained, going through the pages like a machine.

Rude: "Funner stuff? Like what?" Rude asked.

Reno: Reno scratched his head with the pen and thought. "Beer pong, sex, partying, lazy days. Stuff like that...DONE!" The redhead threw the pen down and sighed. "Damn, I hate paperwork!"

Rude: Rude laughed outright and shook his head at his partner in crime. "But I thought you said you were sore." He smirked when Elena turned three shades of pink and left the room stuttering something about reporting to Rufus.

Reno: Reno leaned back in the chair, tilting it back a bit. "Yeah but I could do those other things. Hell even a game of pool would be better than this. So what now, yo?"

Rude: "Hmmm, po~" Rude's PHS ringing cut him off as he pulled it out to answer it with, "Turky on Rye."

Reno: "What the hell?" he asked with a very confused expression.

Rude: "No, no mayo. I'll bring the ketchup. Yes the 64th sounds very good. See you there." Rude hung up the PHS. "Looks like we have fun plans after all Red!"

Reno: Reno simply stared, waiting for an answer.

Rude: "Come on they're waiting for us!" Rude was excited and hopped up from his chair and drug Reno up and to the elevator by his arm.

Reno: "Hey! Who is, yo?! Yer not makin' any sense!" The confused Turk pulled his arm away when the two got in the elevator.

Rude: "Heh, yeah well me and the General's tend to have too much spare time on our hands." Rude answered mysteriously.

Reno: "Huh? Just explain damn it!" he yelled losing his patience.

Rude: Rude laughed as the doors dinged on the 64th floor and he shoved Reno out of them before walking calmly over to Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal.

Sephiroth: "Well the Rye and Ketchup are here, we have to keep Mayo out of the loop-." Sephiroth began.

Genesis: "Yes, I've contacted Puppy and StormCloud about it; they got in touch with Cream and will keep Mayo busy." Genesis answered.

Angeal: "Hmmm, but what are we to do with DarkChocolate?" Angeal pondered, it was a good question.

Rude: "Would DarkChocolate be a problem?" Rude asked.

Reno: Reno grabbed his head and hollered "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!" The Turk never could stand being left out of the loop.

Sephiroth: "He might be, should we ask WhiteChocolate to keep an eye out for him?" Sephiroth continued, ignoring the outraged Turk.

Genesis: "That's a good idea." Genesis pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Tseng? Could you do us a huge favor? Could you make sure Vincent doesn't come looking for us? Oh, no, nothing like that. We're just gonna go out to a bar." There was a pause, "Thanks Tseng, we really appreciate it."

Angeal: "Alright! It's a done deal." Angeal grinned, "Let's move out!" He pumped a fist in the air.

Rude: Rude chuckled, "I'll explain on the way, come on Red. You don't wanna miss out on all the fun do you?"

Reno: Reno looked as though he was going to burst a blood vessel. He reluctantly followed, hoping this wasn't some kind of set up.

Rude: As they all piled into Angeal's Escalade Rude began the explanation, "You remember about a month ago when you and Elena got really sick and you were so pissed about it one night that you kicked me out of our room because I wasn't?"

Reno: "Yeah. What about it?" He asked.

Rude: "Well I ended up going out for Italian with the General's here and we were all pretty bored. Angeal mentioned something about how I was like Rye bread, I don't remember why but he did." Rude poked the driver in the back of the head.

Angeal: "I don't remember either, don't look at me." Angeal shrugged.

Rude: "Well we ended up likening everyone to some form of food or accessory to food." Rude explained. "I'm Rye, you're Ketchup -cause of your hair-, Rufus is Mayo, Elena is Cream, Tseng is WhiteChocolate, Vincent is DarkChocolate, Hojo is Peas, Genesis is Hotsauce, Angeal is Toffee, Sephiroth is Frosting, Reeve is Pistachio, Veld is Jellybeans, Lazard is Ranch, and Cloud and Zack don't have food nicknames cause they are already Chocobo and Puppy."

Sephiroth: "Oh, and Lucrecia is Cornflour and Aerith is AngelCake." Sephiroth added.

Reno: Reno gave his partner a blank stare and was silent for a few seconds. "What...the...fuck, yo...? Why would you- I mean what is- Just what the actual fuck?!"

Rude: The three SOLDIERs and Rude simply laughed, "Honestly I think there may have been something in our pasta. But~." The man shrugged, "We kept using them because it's amusing and we can talk about people without them knowing. Kind of childish, but Seph had never done something like that before."

Reno: "You are a major idiot, ya know that?" Reno leaned against Rude and crossed his arms. "So what do yer ideas of a lame joke have to do with our destination, yo?"

Genesis: Sephiroth turned and stuck his tongue out at the sulky Turk, but Genesis turned to him with a grin, "We just talk about people that way now. It has nothing to do with where we're going."

Rude: "Seph called saying he wanted a drink, and you know that Veld would never let him leave ShinRa HQ without a Turk escort unless it was a war zone." Rude answered.

Sephiroth: "Sometimes not even then." Sephiroth pouted.

Rude: "So we're on duty, without being on duty." Rude summarized, "You can have all the fun you want, we're going to 7th Heaven."

Reno: "That's great but I still don't get the name game. It sounds like something a 5 year old would make up." Reno pinched Sephiroth's tongue in annoyance. "And that didn't make ya seem any more mature, dude."

Rude: Sephiroth batted the man's hand away, "It's not about being mature. Honestly you Reno are the least mature out of everyone in this vehicle. It's about ME being able to be something other than an experimental weapon." He growled out at the petulant Turk.

Reno: "Geez. Someone's touchy tonight." he responded with a grin. "Anyway, just tell me when we're there." he mumbled and yawned, still very tired from his little romp with Rude earlier that day. He laid back o his partner's lap and closed his eyes.

Rude: Sephiroth simply stuck his tongue out at the redheaded Turk again. Rude settle back with him, it would be a bit before they arrived in the Sector 7 slums after all.

Reno: "Stupid SOLDIER." He grumbled and nuzzled Rude's lap.

Angeal: Genesis rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through Sephiroth's hair to distract him until they arrived at their destination below the plate. "We're here." Angeal said as he climbed out of his car.

Rude: Sephiroth and Genesis hopped out and Rude shook his dozing partner awake, "Come on Red, let's go."

Reno: Reno mumbled, not wanting to wake. "Meeeeehhhhhhh...Go 'way..." he said and practically buried his face in Rude's crotch.

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes and slide out of the car, dumping Reno on the floor in the process.

Reno: "Ow!" The redhead held his now achy nose and glared at Rude. "Oh, we're here already?" he asked, not thinking about his falling asleep and jumped out. "Let's grab a cold one!" he cheered happily.

Rude: All four other men rolled their eyes and followed the now hyper redhead into the bar.

Reno: Reno waisted no time in selecting a bar stool and getting himself a beer. "Come on guys! Let's have some fun!" he said, now full of energy from his little 'catnap'.


	7. Chapter 8

Rude: Sitting down beside his partner Rude ordered himself a beer and watched as Genesis gracefully asked for wine at a bar... and got it. Sephiroth settled down with a martini of all things and Angeal had a screwdriver to start things off with. Yep, tonight was gonna be fun.

Reno: The redhead started taking huge gulps of the drink, obviously not caring much about a hangover. He placed a hand on Rude's thigh, gave it a little squeeze, and winked.

Rude: Rude grinned at him and wiggled his eyebrows over he ever present shades. After a while and finally getting Genesis to drink a Long Island Ice Tea, which he thoroughly enjoyed - Sephiroth and Genesis were out in the middle of the bar dancing, they'd each grabbed up a random passerby, Sephiroth had Angeal, who'd been coming back from the bathroom and Genesis had grabbed the busty barmaid who Rude was pretty sure owned the joint. But she didn't seem to mind.

Reno: Reno was starting to feel the buzz and was laughing at the simplest things. He wasn't thinking too much about his actions, which was usually a bad thing. The Turk leaned over and kissed Rude passionately.

Rude: Taken a bit by surprise at Reno sudden movement he blinked a second before kissing the man back, to hell with what anyone else thought. Rude was still nursing his first beer, knowing that he'd be driving them all back, but that didn't mean he couldn't have fun too.

Reno: Reno chuckled into the kiss ran his hand further up his partner's thigh, grazing his hand lightly over the inside.

Rude: Rude moaned as Reno's hand wandered over a very sensitive area, if he kept it up they'd all be going home /real/ soon.

Reno: Reno continued to push Rude's buttons and carefully undid his partner's pants. He was far beyond buzzed at this point. And a drunk Reno was a lethal Reno.

Rude: "Mmmm, damn Red." Rude pulled away, standing from his stool he did his pants back up, threw Reno over his shoulder paid for everyone's drinks and headed for the SOLDIERs on their makeshift dance floor. Knowing he was going to regret this later he yelled at them, "WhiteChocolate just called, DarkChocolate's on his way and he's pissed! We gotta go!" The code-names sent the SOLDIERs running for the door and the confused barmaid looked over at Rude. He shrugged helplessly and motioned to the counter where he'd left the money before going out and putting Reno in the car with the others and starting it up.

Reno: Reno was giggling slightly as Rude shoved him into the car. "Wait...W-Wher'r we goin', yo...?...hic!" The tipsy Turk wrapped his arms around Rude and began licking and kissing his neck.

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes and pushed the man into Angeal's lap, "Hold him would you?" He put the escalade in gear and tore back to HQ, "We're going home Red."

Reno: "Aw come on, yo. I was havin' fun. Today's been boring as hell since we fucked." he wined, not realizing what he'd just done.

Rude: Rude refrained from facepalming and made it to HQ in record time, parking in Angeal's parking space he hauled Reno out and threw him back over his shoulder. "I'll see you guys later." All three men simply grinned at him, Seph and Gen had the gall to wink. Rude turned smartly on his heel and took Reno back to their room.

Reno: The redhead was just plain loopy at this point, his head seemingly 'empty' enough to go 'weeeeeee' as he was hauled through the door.


	8. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 9 is on dA**_

Rude: Rude woke with his face buried in Reno's neck, his red hair tickling his nose, he had an arm tossed over the redhead and leg between his knees. All in all it was a great place to wake up. Moving slightly he grabbed the man's ear with his teeth and began sucking on it, leaving off only long enough to say, "It's time to get up Reno."

Reno: "Mmmmm. Five more minutes..." he begged and covered his head in the blankets.

Rude: Rude chuckled and stuck his tongue in Reno's ear. "Yer the one that wants to see Hojo of all people. Unless you've changed your mind of course."

Reno: Reno cringed, unable to sleep with Hojo on his mind. "Damn it Rude. I was havin' a good dream." he said. Although an explanation wasn't necessary because of the bulge under the sheets.

Rude: "Mhm, want help with that? Or were you dreamin' 'bout a girl?" Rude murmured in his ear, having seen the tented sheet.

Reno: "Pfft. Yeah right. Chicks ain't got nothing on a beast like you." he said wrapping his arms around Rude's neck.

Rude: Rude wrapped his arms around Reno's waist and brought the man into full contact with the rest of his body, proving that Reno wasn't the only one who woke up happy. "I like to think so, and it's sweet of you to say Sugar." Rude gave his mouth a quick kiss and grinned.

Reno: Reno smirked when he felt Rude's erection pressing against him. "What can I say? I may be a power hungry prick but even I need to be put in my place and as you know, it has to be by force." He said, running his hand along the other man's strong arms.

Rude: "Force huh? Has my kitten been bad already?" Rude whispered as he flipped them over and laid on top of Reno - most of his weight on his knees settled between Reno's legs.

Reno: Reno ran his hand over Rude's chest. "So, what's gotten into you?" he asked.

Rude: Rude paused smirking for a moment before he rolled away, however it didn't help any and he buried his face in his pillow as the giggles started.

Reno: Reno sat up and raised an eye brow. "What with you?" The redhead began laughing, wondering what could have been so funny.

Rude: Rude's giggles slowly subsided and he rolled over to face Reno, "You just had to ask what's gotten into me lately didn't you?" The man smirked as he pointedly looked Reno up and down before he got out of bed and headed for the shower.

Reno: The smaller Turk facepalmed himself and laughed when he caught on the pun. "Yer just as immature as me, yo?" he called.

Rude: "No," Rude yelled back as he started the water, "You just rub off and it shows at odd times." The Turk hopped in the shower and washed off the last couple of days in the warm jets of water.

Reno: Reno couldn't help himself and hopped out of bed to join his partner. The red head grabbed a towel and walked in. He licked his lips as his gaze traveled over the man's toned body before joining him.

Rude: "Well howdy do Red." Rude grinned as Reno joined him, holding out the soap to him in question.

Reno: Reno took the bar and began washing up. "Well, I can't lie. I /might/ be a little excited to get my ears back." he said and winked then began washing Rude's back.

Rude: Rude chuckled and then nearly purred himself as Reno began washing his back. "Yer such a dork."

Reno: "Am not." he argued. Reno set the bar of soap on the ledge and washed the suds off the bald man. The redhead got the shock of his life when the bar slid off and under his foot, sending him onto his back. "Oooowww." he groaned.

Rude: Rude spun around to find his partner sprawled on the shower floor, "If it hurts don't do it." Rude shook his head at the man and helped him to his feet, picking up the bar of soap while he was at it, "Anything broken?"

Reno: Reno frowned at his partner. "Very funny and no, I just hit my head." he said rubbing the soon to be bump.

Rude: "Oh well, you'll be fine then." Rude said matter-of-factly before he began to gently wash Reno's hair being careful of the forming lump.

Reno: Reno sighed contently. He'd always loved it when Rude played with his hair, weather he washed it, brushed it, or just ran his fingers through it. It was somehow calming. Especially in the mornings or right before bed. The redhead smiled and tilted his head back a bit into the massaging fingers. "Thanks, yo."

Rude: "No problem Red." Rude watched as his partner relaxed and simply smiled at him, playing with his hair longer than necessary to wash it before he rinsed it out and washed the man's back as well.

Reno: Reno smirked and shook his head, flicking water everywhere simply to annoy Rude and chuckled.

Rude: Rude grinned and kissed the man's neck, "Dork." Once he was done washing Reno's back he finished cleaning himself off and stepped out of the spray.

Reno: Reno finished up in the shower soon after. He stepped out and began drying off. He hugged onto Rude, nuzzling his face into the taller man's back and began placing kisses up and down his neck and spine.

Rude: "Mmmm," Rude murmured as Reno began his task, he paused his shave to rub a hand over the arms around his waist. Shaving cream still attached to his chin.

Reno: "Say anything corny and I swear I'll kick ya." he warned halfheartedly. He rested his head against Rude's back for a moment then stepped in front of the mirror to brush his fiery locks.

Rude: Rude grinned and finish shaving. He looked down at Reno attempting to brush his hair and chuckled, snatching the brush away. Rude gathered up Reno's hair and began slowly running the brush through it, again being careful of the lump on his partner's head.

Reno: "Hm? What's up? I can do it." he said but didn't move. 'Still feels perfect.' he thought to himself and closed his eyes contently.

Rude: "Yeah you can, but I like playing with your hair." Rude answered truthfully, 'Besides,' He thought, 'you like it too.'

Reno: "Heh fair enough." he said, admitting defeat and rested his elbows on the counter so Rude could reach all of his hair.

Rude: Rude smiled and continued brushing out Reno's hair, letting it dry in the air as he fiddled with it. He wrapped the now dry strands around his left hand, pulling the hair off to the side and kissing the white column revealed.

Reno: Reno couldn't help but giggle at the feeling. He turned around and wrapped his arms around Rude's neck with his back against the counter. "What now, babe?"


	9. Chapter 11

Rude: "Hmmm, well we should probably get dressed," Rude murmured resting his hands on Reno's hips. "Then you wanted to visit Dr. H, and we do have actual work to do..." His voice trailed off as he nuzzled into Reno's neck.

Reno: "Right." he whispered. Reno gave his partner a quick kiss and got ready. "Let's get going, yo." he said and walked out in the lab's direction.

Rude: Rude followed Reno through the hallways and down to Hojo's lab. When they entered the man was crying, literally /crying/. "Uh, umm, Professor Hojo? You okay?" The be-shaded Turk was highly disconcerted by the creepy scientist's tears.

Reno: Reno simply stared with a blank expression, thinking the man had simply caved from his own insanity. "um...Hojo? What the hell's up with you?"

Hojo: The stricken man looked up at them his eyes bloodshot and watery, "Jenova, she... she... she's /dead/! My poor specimen! She was glorious! I was going to improve on Sephiroth's make, have even better soldiers! But now, now... it's all OVER!" The man lamented going off into ramblings about what he was going to be capable of doing with the creepy things genes.

Rude: Rude had had enough. "HOJO! Get a grip. You'll find something else to entertain yourself with." He looked down at Reno evilly, "Like Reno perhaps... they whole attempting to turn my partner into a cat thing won't fly so well with our boss if I tell him." The threat was there, but so was the bargain that could potentially be made.

Reno: Reno stared up at Rude for a split second, surprised he'd 'offer' him so casually, even though it was his own idea. The redhead turned back to see a disturbingly happy expression on the older man's face.

Rude: As Hojo's face filled with demented glee Rude pushed Reno behind him a bit, "You can't play with people's genes without their permission Hojo, it's part of your contract. Would you like to be fired?"

Hojo: Hojo paused in the act of reaching for Reno as Rude spoke and made his grab impossible, "No of course I don't want to be fired! I am a respectable scientist!" Hojo's grating voice had a sickly sweet hurt edge to it.

Rude: Rude nearly barfed, "Well Red? Yer the one who wanted to do this." He gave the responsibility for Reno's health to Reno.

Reno: Reno swallowed and walked out from behind his partner. "Uh...Professor? You remember that injection you gave me, right? Well, I have a little deal to make." Reno felt a little sick to his stomach but continued. "If you allow me to have control over it...you have 30 minutes to...do...sigh...whatever you want to me." The redhead was very grateful he had a strong stomach right about now.

Rude: Rude yanked Reno back out of the creeps grasp, "Not 'whatever he wants' are you crazy Reno?! You have to be specific!"

Reno: "W-What do you want me to say?!" he whispered angrily. "I don't know what to offer him! He's a creep but if he likes me, what's the worst he can do?" he asked, not realizing how idiotic he sounded.

Rude: "Dude seriously? You came here cause you liked being a cat and you wanted control over the change. For fucks sake Reno, all you had were cat ears and tail and the sensory stuff to go with it. You want him to make it so you full on turn into a cat?! Or better yet, something else entirely? Focus!" Rude was aghast, he couldn't believe how dumb Reno was being.

Hojo: All through their little argument Hojo watched seemingly bored, but his eyes cut the scene like a knife. "If you just want the kittyflu again that's not very entertaining."

Reno: Reno's face look horrified. "Shit. Okay so just tell him I want all of that back and ONLY that in exchange for..." The smaller Turk thought a moment. "What the hell do you suggest, since yer apparently the 'expert' here?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes, "You get full control over simply the effects of his "kittyflu" for him not being fired." Rude laid it all out on the table when he'd thought it was obvious from the beginning. "And he's only to give you the "kittyflu" effects."

Reno: Reno nodded and walked over to the scientist, explaining how he wanted this to work. "So we'll save yer ass if ya give me control over those powers and only those! Deal?" Reno reached out and shook the man's hand.

Hojo: Hojo was rather bored with the prospect, but making the 'kittyflu' permanent was a challenge he liked. "Alright, I will need your DNA in order to make the transformation something permanent as well as something you can control." He walked over to a counter and picked up a box, opening a fresh needle and syringe type deal and coming back over to Reno. "Arm please."

Reno: Reno cringed. He'd never liked needles much but held out his arm, allowing the man to take a sample.

Hojo: Hojo took the blood sample and then wander over to his chemical table and began working, "This may take me a couple of days. I'll let you know when it's done."

Rude: Rude smirked and then looked down at Reno, "So... work now?"

Reno: Reno sighed heavily. "Fiiine!" he complained, putting his hands in his pockets and scuffing his sneakers on his way to the office.


	10. Chapter 12

Rude: Rude nodded and followed his friend out. Getting to his desk Rude had to smirk as Elena looked at his shirt for telltale signs of non-work related activities, "Sorry Lena, but if you want in next time just call. I'm sure we could make room for you." Yeah, he was on a bit of a vindictive streak lately.

Elena: Elena gasped in outrage and blushed seven shades of red before ending up the same color as Reno's hair. "Why would I want to 'play' with either of you?" She huffed out.

Reno: Reno headdesked and laughed uncontrollably, holding his side. "Ha ha! What the hell's with ya lately, yo? You've been pretty 'playful' for the past while. Something happen?" he asked and began hammering through the large amount of paper work, occasionally giggling at Rude's comment.

Rude: Rude simply smiled and went to work on his own stacks of paperwork, then suddenly out of nowhere he popped off with, "Reno, we already discussed what's 'gotten into me' this morning." Then he went right back to sloughing through paperwork. However he didn't miss Elena's blushing face hitting her desk or her quiet laughter that she was trying to hide.

Reno: "So yer actin' like that cause I fucked ya?" he asked with a smirk. "I should do it more often then. But don't think I'm gonna top every time from now on or anything. Got it?" he warned jokingly.

Rude: Rude laughed out loud before banging his own head on his desk. Elena erupted into rolling laughter and Tseng, who'd been strolling through the room on his way to his private office, cracked a real grin at everyone - a rare sight indeed.

Reno: Reno raised an eyebrow and looked around at the other Turks. "Seriously? How was it that funny?" he asked and felt the corners of his mouth curl into a smile. He had no clue what was with them but it was a nice change from their usual up tight attitudes.

Rude: Calming down a little Rude spouted off, "Heh, maybe Hojo put something in the air when he turned you into a kitty."

Tseng: Elena and Tseng both sobered upon hearing this, "Hojo did what to one of my Turks?" Tseng was none too pleased.

Rude: Rude covered quickly though, "It's something he'd wanted to try out and Reno 'volunteered'." Rude knew that Reno hadn't known what the 'flu' shot would do, but he had allowed the scientist to give it to him, so it wasn't completely a lie. Rude had forgotten he wasn't going to mention it...

Reno: Reno scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Uh yeah. It was just a little experiment but it's all cool now. Try walkin' around with ears and a tail all day. It's freakin' weird!" he joked. The redhead winked at his partner, reminding him of their earlier 'activities'.

Rude: Rude just grinned and went back to work.

Tseng: Seeing that everything did seem to be fine, but wanting to check into Hojo or any of the doctors putting something in the air Tseng closed himself off in his office to do so.

Elena: Elena simply shook her head at them and went back to work.

Reno: Reno smiled and stood up. "Well, I'm done. You stay here and work, a'right? Don't come back for like 40 minutes, yo." The redhead kissed Rude's bald head and winked at Elena before leaving.

Rude: Rude blinked, "Come back?" His question hung in the air, the only people to hear it, himself and Elena.

Elena: "He probably means to your room." Elena said.

Rude: Rude nodded in thought and signed off on his last paper, "Well if he wants forty minutes... I'm gonna go grab something to eat."

Reno: Reno had checked Rude's ID that morning, not thinking that was strange in any way and found out it was his birthday. The redhead was trying his best to bake him a cake even though he'd never done much cooking in his life. He was waiting for the oven to heat up and started mixing the ingredients to the best of his almost nonexistent baking skills.

Rude: Rude went down to the cafeteria and grabbed himself a burger, some potato chips, a brownie and some iced tea and sat down to eat.

Reno: Reno had started work on the icing when smelled something burning. He turned around to see flames coming out of the oven. "Aw, Shit!" he cursed and began trying to control the small fire. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!"

Rude: Rude wandered back to the office after he finished eating and handed Elena a brownie, rewarded with a big smile he went over and knocked on Tseng's door. "Hey bossman, got you a brownie, you wan-." The door whipped open and Tseng snatched the chocolate morsel from Rude's fingers and slammed the door shut again. Rude chuckled and looked at a clock. Well it'd been an hour it seemed so Rude went back to find out what was up with Reno.

Reno: Reno finally put the fire out but the only down side was they needed a new oven, Reno needed a new cake, and they would probably have to repaint. The redhead was covered in black ashes and was very unamused.

Rude: Rude knocked on the door for the first time... ever really, "Can I come in now?"

Reno: Reno coughed a few times from inhaling so much smoke and tripped over the broom trying to get his shit together but quickly realized he couldn't with Rude right outside. "God damn it...Yes!" he called and stood up, brushing his suit off.

Rude: As Rude entered the room he coughed as the smoke hit him, glad that they'd taken the stupid annoying smoke detector down when they moved in. He saw the state of the oven and the ash that Reno was valiantly trying to get off of his suit, "What... were you doing?" He moved further into the room, closing the door behind him. He walked over to Reno and kissed his forehead, "They had brownies today, I grabbed you one."

Reno: Reno frowned but accepted the brownie. "I was...makin' yer birthday cake." he mumbled over the bite of brownie in his mouth. "But it kinda well...burned." he said with reddening cheeks.

Rude: Rude was struck utterly still, Reno had tried to make him a birthday cake... The wonder in his dark eyes as he looked around the messing kitchen and then back at Reno was telling. "You didn't have to do that Red. I haven't really celebrated it since I was ten. But thank you." He walked around behind the man and wrapped his arms around him, burying his head in Reno's neck.

Reno: Reno finished off the brownie and crossed his arms, leaning back against Rude's chest. "Yeah but it'd be better if ya actually had a cake after all that." he sulked. "Sorry, man. I'll clean it up. Just felt you still deserved a birthday."

Rude: Rude smiled, "We can always go out and buy one, and get candles too." He licked Reno's neck, "I'll help you clean, it'll go faster that way."

Reno: Reno flinched at the sensation and laughed. "A'right. Can we see if Hojo's done anything yet?" he asked and reached back to run a hand over the other Turk's thigh. "If he has, I might have a 'present' for ya later."

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes, "Hojo said he'd contact us, and he will. He was far too gleeful about it for my liking. And why wouldn't I get that present anyway?" He asked with a pout.

Reno: "Heh you would. I just figured I could make it a bit more fun." he said, turning to face the man. Reno wasn't sure why but his playful side came out. He slowly wrapped his arms around the taller man and shoved him back against the counter. The second he was close enough to kiss him he backed away and dumped the rest of the flour over the man's head.

Rude: Rude blinked as he was encased in flour, "You think I look like a ghost now?" Was his only question.

Reno: Reno laughed even though he wasn't expecting his partner to react so calmly. The redhead wiped some of the powder off of Rude's head until it read 'happy birthday' in sloppy writing. "Ha hah! Happy birthday, yo." he said and hugged Rude with a big smile on his face. "What now?"

Rude: "Wait, you made me into a cake? I was gonna go bug Seph if I looked like a ghost. The man's terrified of them." Rude hugged Reno close, "But we should probably clean... and now we need more flour."

Reno: "I guess. Um...this may take a while" he said and grinned sheepishly as he looked at the mess he'd made.

Rude: Rude grinned, "Then let's get started Sugar."

Reno: Reno frowned but let it go and slapped his partner's ass before grabbing the broom. "A'right."

Rude: Later they were sitting on their sofa eating the chocolate cake they'd gone out to buy, they didn't bother with candles however. Rude had gotten more flour and milk since they were out. "This is good cake," Rude said waving his fork in front of his face, he grinned and leaned over putting frosting on Reno's nose and cheek as he jerked back from the attack. "Hee, hee."

Reno: Reno blinked and smirked at Rude. "So that's how it is, huh?" he asked with an evil grin and tried his best lick the sweet stickiness off his nose, looking a little silly.

Rude: Rude leaned forward again and licked the frosting from Reno's cheek, "Yep, that's the way it is."

Reno: Reno took his chance and spread some frosting over the bridge of Rude's nose. He chuckled and put a small chocolate dot on the man's forehead. "There! Now ya look like the boss!"

Rude: "Oh how grand, 'cept I don't have hair, let alone hair long enough to put into a ponytail." So saying he tugged lightly on Reno's before bringing up a finger to wipe the frosting off his face. Rude smiled at his partner, "Thanks, by the way." He held his now empty cake plate up to show what he meant.

Reno: Reno chuckled and kissed his partner's cheek. "No worries. I got enough hair to make up for it and thanks for what, yo?"

Rude: Rude shook his head in a 'never mind' gesture and rose from the sofa, going into the kitchen and washing his dishes.

Reno: "What?" The smaller Turk repeated, following Rude into the kitchen. He grabbed a face cloth and ran it under the warm water to wash the rest of the frosting off his face.

Rude: Rude simply watched the as Reno washed his face, the redhead would get it eventually, he didn't feel like explaining it at the moment.

Reno: After cleaning his face, Reno walked over to the couch and flopped onto his back, sighing deeply. "Well I gotta say, today was more fun than I thought. It was /your/ birthday though. You have any fun?" He asked, looking over to his partner.

Rude: Rude smiled from his place leaning against the counter, "Yeah I did."

Reno: Reno smiled and closed his eyes to relax. "I'm glad. Sorry about the cake thing but I'm glad it all worked out."

Rude: "S'all good." Rude looked over at their poor oven, he'd have to arrange for a new one.

Reno: Reno frowned looking at the machine. "Don't worry, I think I can afford a new one next pay check."

Rude: "I'm not really worried about it." Rude answered as he walked through the room into the bedroom and threw himself on the bed. The last couple of days made him more tired than usual.

Reno: Reno sat up and followed the man to the bedroom and tilted his head. "You look like death, yo. What up?" he asked and walked over, sitting on the side of the bed then slowly removed his partner's shades. The redhead kissed his forehead and looked into those eyes he'd fallen in love with.

Rude: "Death huh, think that'd be the same as a ghost?" Apparently Rude had a hankering to scare a General, though it would wait, "I've been rather busy the last couple of days. Doing strenuous activities that I haven't done at all in a while. Sue me." He grumbled into the pillow before quickly grabbing the redhead and pinning him to his chest.

Reno: "OOf!" Reno laughed as he was pulled into a hug. "Like what?" he asked looking up at the bald man from his restricted grip.

Rude: Rude kissed Reno's forehead, "Having sex with you for one. Cleaning smoke off the ceiling, laughing." Rude smirked watching the green eyes below his nose.

Reno: Reno blinked. "Well I understand the sex and crazy cleaning increase but laughing? How is that energy draining?" he asked and looked at the other Turk for a legitimate answer.

Rude: "It's just something I haven't done in a while Red. That's all." Rude kissed the man's nose and loosened his hold on him, resting his hands at Reno's hips.

Reno: Reno crawled a little higher until his face was inches away from his partner's and frowned. He knew Rude didn't laugh that often but was starting to wonder just how much he suffered now and then from being so busy. He ran a hand over the larger man's cheek and gave him a quick kiss. "Guess I gotta make ya laugh more often, huh?"

Rude: Rude grinned, "If you can Sugar." Honestly just the thought of calling the fiery spirited man 'sugar' tended to set him off, as it did now.

Reno: The redhead gave an unimpressed look but he shrugged it off and wasn't quite sure why but he began tickling Rude's sides.


	11. Chapter 16

**_Chapters 13,14 and 15 can be found on dA._**

Tseng: "Is Reno with you?" Tseng was always to the point.

Rude: "Yes sir." Rude answered.

Tseng: "Good I need both of you and Angeal to come down to the Containment Room." A click signaled the end of the conversation.

Rude: "Yep, Tsatan. WhiteChocolate wants us and Toffee in the Containment Room." Rude looked over at Reno.

Reno: Reno sat up, feeling terrible for ruining what he felt was the perfect moment. "I'm sorry, Rude." he whispered. "I just couldn't let it happen..."

Rude: Rude smiled fondly at him and walked over to the bed, leaning forward he grabbed Reno's chin and kissed him deeply, "It's fine Sugar. Let's go kick Hojo's lily-white ass so we can get some sleep."

Reno: Reno chuckled. After getting dressed he followed Rude down the hall to the containment room but stopped right outside. "Just a second, yo." The Turk took a few breaths.

Rude: "What is it Reno?" Rude asked as he waved Angeal on into the room.

Reno: Reno straightened up. "I just don't know if...I'll be able to control myself. But I have to find out."

Rude: "You'll be fine Reno, yer a Turk." Rude clapped a hand on his shoulder, "And yer not alone."

Reno: The smaller Turk bit his lip but stood tall as he walked in to face his parent's killer once more. Reno looked angrily at Hojo, who was strapped to a chair.

Rude: Rude followed the redhead into the room and stood next to him as he glared at the scientist.

Hojo: Hojo had been staring listlessly off into space as his own son and Hollander's project had tied him to a chair and forced him to drink the Truth Serum that Grimoire Valentine had created, Hojo had determined that he simply wouldn't speak; there serum didn't make him do that. But then his obsession walked into the room and glared at him. "Reno, Reno Sinclaire, my pet, you've come for me." The man was clearly delusional.

Spehiroth: Sephiroth stood guard behind his father's chair, but flinched and grimaced in horror at what the man said to Reno.

Tseng: Angeal stood guard at the door they'd come in and Genesis was standing in the back corner. Tseng stood across the table from Hojo waiting for the scene to unfold.

Reno: Reno shook with rage but controlled himself. "You wish, you sick fuck..." he answered, never taking his eyes off of the horrid man.

Rude: Rude moved over to Tseng, "You want Reno to ask the questions?" He whispered to the man.

Tseng: Tseng nodded, "I think it would be best." He moved over to the door gesturing for Reno to take his place.

Hojo: Hojo laughed, "I wished for so long. You were only seven the first time I saw you, craved you. Heh heh." He gazed at Reno with an all-consuming passion in his inky eyes. Sephiroth shuddered and gave Reno a look of pure sympathy. "Your parents wouldn't sell you to me, though I could have made them rich beyond imagining, they told me I wasn't going to get my dirty hands on another one of their children! Hahaha, I showed them! You are mine, Cat ears and all!"

Rude: That was when everyone else noticed the ears and the tail, Rude shook his head and no one commented on it however.

Reno: "A...Another...?" he asked, not even taking notice to everyone's reaction to his little 'transformation'. "What are you talking about?"

Hojo: Hojo nodded creepily, "Mmmhmm, Cessnei Sinclaire, though Veld's predecessor stole her from me!" Hojo surged forward, but Sephiroth reached out and grabbed the back of the chair keeping him in place. "That stupid cunt took away my hard earned prize! Made her a damn Turk! Just when she was getting good at pleasing me, gaah! Not that my stupid /wife/ liked that I had a little plaything around and ignored her. She'd given me my son, what the fuck else was she expecting?!"

Tseng: Tseng and the others simply stood by in shock.

Rude: Rude wrapped Reno's twitching tail around his wrist and petted it with his thumb.

Reno: Reno stepped back when Hojo reached for him but relaxed when the man was restrained. "Cessnei?" The redhead thought for a moment and was speechless when he remembered a Christmas date long ago. There was a young girl with ginger hair sitting with him and his parents. Reno immediately covered his mouth, turned away and vomited. He couldn't believe this. Cessnei was that girl? What was worse...That Hojo had gotten to all of his family and not just his parents.

Rude: Rude rubbed his back, "You okay Red? At least yer sis is still alive and she's perfectly happy right?" Rude was having a hard time processing this all himself, he couldn't imagine what it was like for Reno.

Hojo: Hojo laughed, "You will enjoy being slave to my cock's needs boy. You're sister always acted like she hated it and wanted to get away, but I knew better. She was much better off with me than those silly models that were you're parents. Imagine living in the shadow of such great beauties, you'd have never survived. I saved you, YOU ARE MINE!"

Sephiroth: "Whi- Tseng! Sir I think we've heard enough." Sephiroth's voice was hard yet those close to him could detect the waver therein, "I say he's done enough for the death penalty."

Hojo: "Oooh, yes! I'd like very much to play with that over powered gun of Vincent Valentine's! It's such a beauty." Hojo latched onto a new topic.

Tseng: But Tseng shook his head, "We need a confession about the deaths of the Sinclaire's and the 'leak' situation first."

Reno: Reno couldn't control his rage any longer after what he'd just heard. He turned and tackled Hojo, and took advantage of him being tied down, punching him harder and harder until there was a loud 'crack'. He wasn't sure what he broke but he was damn happy about it and hoped it hurt as much as the pain he'd caused his family.

Rude: "Reno!" Rude grabbed his partner off of the now limp scientist. "Pull it together!"

Tseng: Tseng came around as Sephiroth set his father back upright, "Hojo, did you have Sam Galvin a.k.a. C27 kill Adam and Alisa Sinclaire?"

Hojo:Hojo snorted, "Course I did, had to get the twats outta my way somehow."

Tseng: "Did you tell C27 about the Mako energy?" Tseng continued.

Hojo: Hojo nodded his head, "Mhm, he went straight off to tell them Avalanche people too, moron."

Tseng: "Alright, our work here is done. Reno the man is all yours." Tseng waved the SOLDIER's out of the room.

Hojo: "Son, you're just going to leave me here?!" Hojo's eyes were huge.

Sephiroth: Sephiroth stopped at the door, "You are no father of mine." And it was just Rude, Reno and Hojo.

Hojo: "Well, you heard the man Reno, I'm all yours." The creep had the audacity to attempt to look sexy, "So take me big boy."

Rude: Rude slugged him before he could resist the urge, "Sorry, I'll just stand by the door."

Reno: Reno didn't even flinch. He refused to look away from his 'prey' until everyone was gone. The second the door closed he continued his assault. All that could be heard from the room was. The redhead's yelling and cursing and Hojo's screams of pain. Once Reno had beaten the man badly enough you couldn't even tell who he was. The scientist was drenched in his own blood. The redhead took one final, well aimed swing, breaking Hojo's neck. The Turk grabbed the doorknob and walked out, never looking back. He was covered in blood and stood like a statue, knowing his friends were probably disgusted by his actions.

Rude: Rude followed Reno out and nodded for those standing by to dispose of Hojo to do so. Tseng and the SOLDIER's were gone, probably back at work, "So... apparently you need to shower again Red." Rude commented with a twinkle in his eyes.

Reno: Reno stopped walking and leaned against the wall. He sat down and couldn't help the tears. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad. Hojo was dead and he'd gotten revenge but Cessnei was his sister this whole time and she'd been raped as well. "Hojo will be lucky if all he gets is hell." he sobbed into his knees.

Rude: "I kind of hope he's not that lucky to tell you the truth." Rude sat down beside him. "Though, do you think Cessnei knew you were her brother the whole time?" Rude had been thinking about that, she was older than Reno, about the same age as himself, but wouldn't she remember having a brother, a family? She'd never talked about it before, but maybe she'd withheld the information so that it wouldn't hurt Reno.

Reno: "I don't know." Reno looked at his partner, wondering what he'd thought about his actions. Reno never cared what people thought of him but Rude was different. The red head didn't want to look bad in his eyes.

Rude: "We'll have to talk to her some time. Though I'd rather get you clean and in bed next to me at the moment. Cause I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." Rude smiled into green eyes.

Reno: Reno leaned against his partner a let out a few more sobs. "It's...It's really over...I finally got him." The redhead stood and offered his hand to Rude. His eyes were still filled with tears but they were strong. He'd done the only thing that he'd needed to as far as he was concerned and now only had to focus on enjoying what he'd made out of his life, including meeting the man he was now permanently attached to.

Rude: Rude grinned up at him and took his offered hand. Standing he kept Reno's hand in his and bent down to kiss him.

Reno: Reno returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around Rude's neck. "Let's go back. I need some sleep after this craziness."

Rude: "Mmmm, that's what I've been saying for a while now." Rude picked the man up and walked to their room.

Reno: The smaller Turk laughed as he was carried away. "I know. I just like buggin' ya."

Rude: Rude smiled and opened the door kicking it closed behind him, he carried Reno to the bathroom again and stripped his bloody clothes from his body. He turned to the cupboard and got out the iodine and bandages, "Clean off love and then we'll wrap those abused hands of yours."

Reno: Reno cringed. "Bleh. I hate iodine. It stings like a bitch." he complained as he stepped into the shower. Once the blood was washed away, Reno could see he'd caused a little more damage than he thought. "Shit." The redhead finished cleaning up and walked out. "Pass me a towel." Reno's hair always took a while to dry but he refused to cut it, as he had for years.

Rude: He handed Reno a towel and waited as he dried off, watching him was making his mouth dry and a certain member of his anatomy stand at attention, but he was ignoring both sensations.

Reno: Reno smirked at Rude's reaction and wrapped the towel around his waist. He walked over and sat down but couldn't wait for it to be over. He didn't use iodine unless he had to. "Are you sure I need that?" he asked, hoping to hear 'no'.

Rude: "Yes, do you have any idea what shit that creep messes with every day? Cause I don't think I /want/ to know." Rude gently took one of Reno's hands and dabbed the iodined cloth in his hand on the split knuckles, "It'll be over soon enough, so long as you don't squirm and pull away."

Reno: "I wo-" Reno's hand flinched away the moment he denied it. The redhead blushed and frowned, slightly embarrassed. "Not a word..." he said and stood up. "That'll do." The sneaky Turk wandered to the door hoping Rude would forget it and just come to bed.

Rude: "Reno, if I have to sit on you I will. Get back here so I can bandage your hands." Rude wasn't going to let the love of his life bleed all over the place just because he didn't like iodine.

Reno: "They're fine!". Reno walked out and into their bedroom. "Come on, yo! Unless you plan on chasing me around with iodine, let's just go to sleep!"

Rude: Rude calmly set the cloth aside and went out after Reno, he walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, "I don't think so." He hauled them man back into the bathroom and set him on the toilet, quickly sitting on his lap, he took the hand he'd already medicated and wrapped it in gauze before tackling the other hand. When he was done he stood up and stripped and took a quick shower of his own.

Reno: Reno gave his partner a very unimpressed look then stared at his throbbing hands. "Fuck my life..." He figured he may as well wait for the other man before going to bed.

Rude: Rude stepped out and grabbed a towel to dry off. "So... how mad at me are you?" He hung the towel back up and stood there, hard for all the world to see, looking down at his partner.

Reno: Reno glared at Rude for a moment. "Very." was his only response. "Can we please just go to bed now? My hands hurt like fuck, I'm sore, and I am definitely not amused."

Rude: "Of course," Rude lifted the redhead into his arms again and deposited him on the bed, "By the way, yer ears an tail are gone." He said as he climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over them.

Reno: "That so?" The redhead focused and eventually he felt over his head and chuckled when he touched the soft fur. "There we go." Reno laid his head down and yawned, pulling the blanket high over his head to keep warm. "Night." was all that came from under the covers.

Rude: "Night." Rude sighed and went to sleep.


	12. Chapter 17

Reno: When Reno woke up he smiled at Rude's peaceful expression. The redhead leaned close and licked the sleeping man's nose playfully. "Yo, Rude. Wake up, babe." he whispered.

Rude: Rude woke with a jerk, "Reno." There was panic in his voice before his eyes focused on the man next to him and he smiled. "Hey."

Reno: Reno jumped then ran his knuckles over Rude's jaw. "What's wrong? Nightmare?"

Rude: "Mhm, you ran off and married Hojo." Rude shuddered and nuzzled into Reno's caress, "Worst dream ever."

Reno: The redhead looked disgusted. "That's nasty man...really...REALLY nasty." He shook his head but smiled and wrapped his arm around his love. "I wanted to thank you."

Rude: Rude smiled and hugged Reno to him, "For what?"

Reno: "For staying with me through all this crap." The smaller Turk nuzzled under Rude's chin and purred softly.

Rude: Chuckling Rude answered, "I'll always be here for you Reno." He rubbed his arms up and down the man's back pulling their naked bodies closer together. "I love you." He kissed the top of Reno's head.

Reno: "I know you do." he teased and began to wrestle the man. Reno had been too stressed and felt like he just couldn't stay still for long.

Rude: Rude easily pinned the redhead to the bed, "How are your hands?"

Reno: "Ummm..." Reno didn't want to complain; knowing if he did the larger man would grab the iodine again. "They're good."

Rude: Rude shook his head, "Would you be truthful? They won't need the iodine again, but if they hurt you should probably take something for it. And not wrestle with anyone till they're better." Rude bent down and kissed the man.

Reno: Reno returned the kiss then smiled at Rude. "Oh...Then yeah, they're kinda sore." he admitted, looking at his bandaged hands.

Rude: Rude smiled, "Well then hotshot let's get you some painkiller and go eat, I'm starving."

Reno: "What're we havin'?" he asked as he lifted himself up and nipped at Rude's neck.

Rude: "Mmm, you keep that up and I'll be having you." Rude teased as he moved off the bed and began to get dressed. "I was thinking we could go out for pancakes though."

Reno: Reno smiled like a child getting ice cream. "Hell yeah! I haven't had pancakes in forever!" The overactive Turk hopped out of bed and got dressed. He smirked and picked up the hair brush. "Care to do the 'honor'?" he joked.

Rude: Rude turned to watch his partner's excitement, "I'd love to." He took the brush and began pulling it through Reno's red locks, "You might wanna get rid of these though." He nibbled on the end of one of Reno's cat ears to make his point.

Reno: Reno flicked his ear and shook his head with a laugh. He was pleasantly surprised when they, along with his tail vanished at his will. "Cool." The redhead tilted his head slightly, enjoying having his hair brushed.

Rude: Rude swiped the brush through the red mass one last time before tying it off and kissing the side of Reno's neck, "Well grab yer wallet and let's go." He grabbed his off the floor in the bathroom along with his PHS and keys before walking out the door. He went into his own room and grabbed his shades before coming back out into the hall.

Reno: "So where we eatin'?" he asked and followed Rude's lead.

Rude: "I was thinking about this place on Loveless Ave. that Genesis likes to go to. Their food is really good." Rude told him as they walked to the parking lot.

Reno: "Sounds good." Reno blushed and looked away. He slowly walked closer to Rude until he curled their pinkies together. He wasn't used to acting romantic in public but figured he may as well and held Rude's hand but kept his gaze elsewhere

Rude: Rude ginned as Reno hooked their pinkies together, he loved that the man felt okay enough to do it. He continued down the row of cars until he came to his black Mustang GT Convertible, "Hop in love."

Reno: Reno took a seat and buckled in, quickly rolling the window down. He could never stand driving with the windows up for some reason. It felt too closed in and he loved the wind on his face. It messed his hair up a bit but it was worth it.

Rude: Rude grinned and started the car after settling in; he hadn't driven his own car in a while. Usually he was in a stuffy ShinRa company van or some such. But his car was his baby and he'd always loved how Reno looked in it. He put the top down and drove out of the parking lot. It was great weather and warm even though it was still around 8 in the morning.

Reno: Reno leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. He felt so at peace today and couldn't stop a smile from gracing his lips. He laid a hand on Rude's lap and sighed, taking in the fresh air. His pony tail whipped around in the wind

Rude: Rude drove through Midgar, the place clear of Mako taint, since Avalanche had wound up killing President Rufus's father a year or so ago. Not that the Turks had tried very hard to protect the asshat. Rufus seemed to look to what the people actually wanted though, he didn't care for finding a Promised Land, he felt /making/ one was better. They pulled up in front the Goddess Grove and Rude shut the car off. "Here we are Red."

Reno: "Bout time!" Reno said and hopped out, walking into the surprisingly fancy place. He turned to Rude, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, how the hell can we afford this?"

Rude: Rude grinned, "One, we're Turks, and two, it's not expensive in the least. It just looks that way. It's why Seph agrees to come here, it only looks ostentatious."

Reno: Reno shrugged. "If you say so!"

Rude: Rude let the waiter seat them and then order a large stack of blueberry pancakes and a large mug of hot chocolate. "What ya gonna get Red?"

Reno: Reno was looking out the large glass window with a lazy smile. "Hm?" It took him a moment to even notice Rude was talking to him. "Oh. I'll have the same but replace the hot chocolate with tea." His voice was even more calm than usual. He returned to gazing out the window at the beautiful weather.

Rude: The waiter smiled and brought back tea for Reno and hot chocolate for Rude. Rude joined Reno in simply enjoying the beautiful day until their food made it to the table. They'd just begun eating when Reno's phone went off.

Reno: The redhead pulled his phone out of his jacket and answered. "Yo! Reno here." He was confused as to why Elena was calling. "Uh, Lani? Who gave ya my number?"

Elena: Elena giggled on the other end, "I'm a Turk Reno, people don't give me things, I find them. But that's not the important part!" She took a big breath, "I hope Rude's with you, apparently Cessnei got checked into the hospital today. Her baby is due in a couple of days! I figured you'd want to know since... well with what you found out yesterday. Plus you guys have always been really close anyways!" Elena's excitement oozed over the airwaves.

Rude: Rude looked at him curiously over a forkful of pancake.

Reno: "Uh, that's great, Lani but what're ya talkin' about? What I found out? I found out that Cessnei's my sister but..." When it FINALLY clicked in Reno went pale and dropped his fork. "Oh...my...god..."

Rude: Rude watched as his partner turned white and dropped his fork, setting his own down. "What's up Red?"

Elena: Elena snickered at his reaction. "She's in the west wing of the hospital if you wanna go and see her!" With that the spunky blonde hung up the phone.

Reno: Reno stood up, dropping his phone and ran outside to the car. "Come on, yo! Pay quick! We gotta get to the hospital now!" he called bad to the other Turk he'd left in the restaurant. "Rude! Hurry the hell up!"

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes and asked for takeout boxes and the check. He got Reno's tea in a thermos as well as his own hot chocolate - they were reusable and you got money off if you used them when you came in- then he paid and stashed everything in the car. "I'm a take it Cessnei's partner finally got her admitted to the hospital. She'd been trying to stay home as long as possible." Rude said as he started the car.

Reno: "WHAT?!" Reno was about to ask how Rude knew but realized it was only a shock because it took him a minute to put two and two together. "I completely forgot she was even prego! I'm gonna be an uncle? This is so messed up!" He was happy but extremely flabbergasted.

Rude: Rude actually giggled as Reno finally sat in the seat, "You wanna go up and see her I take it? I mean, the kids not due yet, she's just finally in the hospital."

Reno: Reno looked at his partner. "She's my sister. I have to see her." he said, finally beginning to calm down a bit.

Rude: Rude smirked, "Len tell you where Cessnei's at in the hospital?" He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the hospital in Sector 8.

Reno: "The west wing." Reno bit his knuckles and kept his eyes straight ahead, waiting to see the hospital.

Rude: Rude drove up the long and winding way to the hospital's visitor parking and park his car, putting the top back up and locking it when they got out. He moved over to the sidewalk and began the trek up to the building's western side.

Reno: Reno bolted passed his partner and rushed into the hospital. "Rude, come on!" he called back, trying to get the bald Turk to hurry.

Rude: Rude chuckled and followed behind Reno; he caught up to him in the lobby. "Red, this /is/ a hospital, yer gonna have to contain yerself a little. We're here to see Cessnei." Rude said to the man behind the counter, the hospital staff all knew the Turks, they tended to come in here a lot.

Reno: "Yeah but, but that's point! I have to talk to her." he explained, tapping his fingers on the desk.

Hospital Staff: The man behind the counter smiled, "She's on the third floor room 308."

Rude: Rude grabbed Reno's hand before he could shoot off and forced him to walk to the elevators.

Reno: Reno tried to pull ahead a bit, wanting to see his sister. "Come on. Can we please hurry? I need to talk to her." The redhead turned down the hall to Cessnei's room and gently tapped the door.

Cessnei: Cessnei heard the knock and looked up from her book, "Come in!" 'Visitors! Yay!' She'd been bored since she got here.

Reno: Reno took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. "H...hi." The redhead walked over to his sister but wasn't quite sure what to say. It had been so long. How was he supposed to talk to her?

Cessnei: Cessnei put her book down as Reno and Rude entered the room, "Hey guys!" She looked over at Reno and frowned suddenly, he wasn't usually... nervous? She looked up at Rude with her question on her face and he just looked at her like he knew every little thing she'd ever done in life and was about to call her on it. It made /her/ nervous. But she sighed and looked back at Reno, "You know don't you?"

Reno: Reno nodded. "Kinda. So, uh...How are ya feelin'?" The redhead put his hands in his pockets. "Need me to get you anything...sis'?" 'Can I call her that? Is it weird?' His thoughts were running a million miles an hour

Cessnei: A beautiful smile graced Cessnei's face at Reno calling her sis. "Oh I missed you Reno!" Her eyes misted over a bit, "But no I don't need anything. Though... would you mind being an Uncle?" Her eyes fell to her hands which were worrying the blanket on her lap and she bit her lip a bit.

Reno: Reno looked away and frowned. "Not until you tell me why you never let me know I wasn't alone." It still hurt Reno to know she'd been so close all these years while he thought he was the last of his family.

Cessnei: Cessnei bit the other side of her lip, "Well, when you joined ShinRa... you didn't remember me. I knew you'd joined to find the people who killed our parents, though I still don't know who did that. Elena mentioned that it was finally taken care of though. But... I thought that if I told you... you'd push me away. Maybe say that I was lying. I'd already been ripped from you once, I didn't want you to push me out yourself." She clutched her arms around herself and continued staring at the blanket.

Reno: Reno looked at his sister with sympathy. "It was taken care of. Me and Rude took care of the man that killed them and I...I killed Hojo." His words were coated with guilt but he knew he'd done what he needed to and now it was for him, his sister, and even his soon to be niece or nephew.

Cessnei: "Hojo?" Cessnei nearly chocked, "What the fuck does that asshole have to do with anything!?" Her eyes flew to Reno's.

Reno: Reno took a step back when Cessnei reacted. She was 100% his sister. "I thought you knew. I'll explain everything but I don't want to worry you in this condition so try to stay calm, alright?" Reno knew it was important she knew but still wanted to protect her.

Cessnei: Cessnei nodded her head and leaned back into the pillows behind her, "So... how'd you find out we were siblings? Start there okay?"

Reno: Reno covered his mouth but sighed and explained everything Hojo had revealed the day before about his plan to get to him, what he'd done to Cessnei, and about the man he'd hired. "I guess we were his 'trophies'."

Cessnei: Cessnei looked a little green as Reno explained what he knew for sure and what he inferred from some of the information Hojo had divulged. "Reno, Hojo didn't rape me, he just made me do things to him. Well unless you can rape somebody's mouth." She shuddered and actually seemed to be thinking about it for a moment before she shrugged it off. "Besides that was a long time ago. Though I wish I'd known he was after you too. I'd have whacked his head off before he could do so much damage."

Reno: "Yeah. I guess I was his target from the start, but you suffered from it. Our whole family did but..." Reno trailed off and walked forward to place a hand on Cessnei's belly. "The family's growing again, huh?"

Cessnei: Cessnei smiled at him, "Yep! I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet them." She covered Reno's hand with her own. "Though our family is bigger and better than it was before anyway. We Turks, we're all a family." She smiled up at Rude, "Thanks for always looking out for my little brother, by the way."

Rude: Rude nodded, simply taking in the scene.

Reno: Reno had to bite his lip to keep his emotions back for Cessnei but he couldn't believe this was real. It was after he heard her words that his eyes widened. "Them? As in more than one?"

Cessnei: Cessnei laughed, "No silly, there's only one baby. I said them because I opted not to know the gender until they're born. And calling him or her an it bothers me."

Reno: Reno took his hand away looked around the room. He wasn't quite sure what to say so he looked to Rude, hoing he could start some kind of topic to lift the awkward moment for him.

Rude: Rude took pity on his partner and walked up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist. Leaning his head on Reno's shoulder he asked, "You have any names picked out yet?"

Cessnei: Cessnei shook her head and smiled, "Nope. Decided to wait and see the kid so that I can actually pick a name that fits."

Reno: Reno's face went red. What would Cessnei think? She was his sister. Did she think it was weird? "Oh..uh. That's a good idea."

Cessnei: "Reno? Are you alright?" Cessnei was a bit concerned that her brother was suddenly blushing for no reason. Honestly baby names were something to blush over... unless they were really out there...

Rude: Rude grinned and held the man tighter for a few seconds before relaxing again and winking at Cessnei which made her cover her giggle with her hand.

Reno: "W-What's so funny?" The redhead looked back and forth between the two with a frown. "Why are ya laughing?"

Cessnei: Cessnei chuckled some more, "You are too adorable Reno. Honestly." She shook her head at him. Rude simply grinned.  
Reno: Reno looked back at Rude and raised an eyebrow. "No, seriously. What did I do?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around again. 'Damn it. Way to make it any less awkward.' he thought

Rude: "You blushed for no reason at all." Rude rumbled in his ear.

Reno: Reno shivered when he felt Rude's breath on his neck and squirmed out of his grip, running his hand over the goose bumps. "Ahem! Um...So how have you been holding up?"

Cessnei: "I've been good. Genesis had to threaten to chase me down the street with fireballs just to get me to check in. Shane's the one who actually brought me though. She's been watching me like a hawk since I got pregnant." Cessnei giggled again.

Reno: Reno smiled. "Well I'm glad they kept an eye on you. I'll have to thank them I guess. Is there anything you need?"

Cessnei: Cessnei rolled her eyes, "You already asked that Reno. Really I'm fine, I certainly like the company though. Being here is boring!"

Reno: Reno fidgeted with his fingers, trying to think of something to say. "You probably need some fresh air." The redhead walked away and opened the window, letting the clean wind flow through.


	13. Chapter 18

Rude: That night was Turk movie night, Hank came around and rounded them all up and herded them into Rufus's private theater room. Once there Selen, Kayleen and Remmy began arguing about what type of movie they should all watch. Twain and Veld were the last to arrive and they brought the MIB movies with them as well as the Matrix movies - both of which were shot down considering how often the Turks had watched them. Rude shook his head, "Let's watch the Three Musketeers or something, maybe Star Trek."

Reno: Reno rolled his eyes. He did like watching them argue over it, like a bunch of kids fighting over candy but it got old quickly. "Can we just choose? Put in a horror flick, a comedy, or a chick flick for all I care. Just choooose." The redhead tilted his head back and sighed then pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "It can't be that hard."

Rude: Rude plucked the cigarette from Reno's mouth and put it out. "Too small a space for that Red." He grabbed the man too him, lining up Reno's back to his chest. "And while picking a movie shouldn't be too hard, other things are." He whispered in his ear.

Elena: "Let's watch Battleship!" Elena suggested.

Shane: "Yes!" Shane and Kane agreed at the same time.

Reno: Reno was getting sick of people just snatching his cigarettes away and squirmed in Rude's arms until he heard the man's comment. "Yer just as bad as me, huh?" The redhead reached behind his partner and slapped his ass before taking a seat. "A'right, Battleship it is, yo."

Twain: Twain took the movie and put it in as everyone found a seat. Taking his own he pressed play on the remote and the movie began.

Reno: Reno couldn't pay attention to the movie for long before thoughts of Cessnei crossed his mind. 'I wonder how she's doing. Maybe I should get the baby something.' The redhead leaned against his partner's shoulder without even noticing he had.

Rude: Rude smiled down at Reno as the man leaned into him, "Don't think too hard love." He whispered to him before turning back to watch the movie.

Reno: "I can't help it. I just don't wanna lose her again." he said, trying to speak as low as he could so the others wouldn't hear. He knew he was just being paranoid and Cessnei would be fine but he couldn't seem to put his mind at ease. He held Rude's hand and ran his thumb over the other Turk's knuckle. "Maybe I'll feel better after my mission tomorrow or something."

Rude: Rude leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Maybe, we'll just have to see."

Reno: Reno sighed." Let's just get outta here. I can't focus on a freakin' movie right now." He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out.

Veld: Veld and Tseng noted when Reno got up and left, Rude soon following him. They exchanged a worried look but stayed where they were.

Rude: Rude caught up to his partner and fell into step beside him, "So Mr. Can't Concentrate. What do you wanna do? We could go buy neutral baby stuff, we could spar, or just go to sleep early."

Reno: "I'm not in the mood for sarcasm." Reno scratched the back of his neck, trying to think of something they could do for fun. "Well you can watch that movie if ya want. I guess I did kinda walk out without asking if ya wanted to finish it."

Rude: "I wasn't really being sarcastic. I mean the Mister part was but," Rude shrugged, "And I've seen Battleship several times already so it's no big deal. Though if you wanna be alone and can go find something to do."

Reno: Reno chuckled. "Nah. It's not that. I just can't really think of anything to do but it's only 10:00. I'm not goin' to bed this early." The redhead held the other turk's hand, linking their fingers together.

Rude: Rude grinned and raised their linked hands to his lips, kissing Reno's fingers. "We could always play a prank on SOLDIER, getting Cloud and Zack is always fun"

Reno: An evil little grin crossed Reno's lips. "Now yer talkin my language." He thought, trying to think of the best prank he could. "Hmm. I'm wondering if you have a bit of an evil side, yo. Ever come up with good pranks before?"

Rude: "Well I've dyed Sephiroth's hair green and gave Genesis Cloud's hairstyle. I also put a snake in Zack's sleeping bag once, it wasn't poisonous or anything, but man you should have seen his face!" Rude chuckled.

Reno: Reno smirked. "Yer kinda sexy when yer bad." he said with a wink. "You should do it more often, yo."

Rude: "I'm kinda sexy anyway hotstuff." Rude waggled his eyebrows and gave Reno an 'I'm sexy and I know it' look.

Reno: Reno burst into laughter. "Can't say I was expecting that." he said as he place a cig between his lips and lit it.

Rude: Rude smiled, "We should think about gettin one of those vapor cig things for you. For when yer around the baby. Unless you just won't smoke around it... cause that would be bad." Rude mused as they continued down the hallways.

Reno: "Hey, I'm not that dumb. I'd never bring a cigarette around the baby. Besides, Genesis would ring my neck if I even thought about it. So come up with any ideas yet?"

Rude: "We could set fire to Angeal's office." Rude suggested loudly as said man walked by them. Angeal simply rolled his and continued on his way however. "That man's no fun sometimes." Rude pouted. "We could put honey in all of the Cadet's shoes, they recently had lights out so they should all at least be in their rooms if not asleep in the next half an hour."

Reno: "Heh. They have some pretty long training sessions tomorrow. I think that calls for itching powder in their underwear." Reno rarely remembered his own schedule but when it came to pranks he had to know everything about his victims.

Rude: Rude chuckled, Reno would know that. "Sounds like plan."

Reno: "Well then. I'll have to go to my secret stash for pranks." Reno bolted down the hall into their room and took out a box filled with everything you could ever need for a prank.

Rude: Rude followed more sedately shaking his head ruefully upon finding Reno with his box. He giggled however when he realized that the Turks were scouting the Cadets tomorrow. This was going to be more epic than he'd thought.

Reno: "Gotcha!" he said when he found what he'd been looking for. Reno turned around with his trademark evil smile, holding up the can of itching powder. "We should get going. They should be asleep by now, yo." The redhead always felt better after a good prank gone right. He knew it was childish but no one ever accused him of being mature.

Rude: Rude smiled and grabbed a couple pairs of latex gloves from under the sink and handing a pair to Reno, "We don't wanna touch that stuff or leave any finger or leather prints at the scenes of the crime."

Reno: Reno laughed. "Guess yer right." He shoved the gloves into his pocket so no one would see them and carefully placed the can in his jacket, making sure it was completely closed first. "Let's go."

Rude: Rude followed Reno out and down the halls to Cadet housing. They snuck in and snuck out quickly and quietly, the shenanigans that would happen tomorrow would be a sight to see.

Reno: Reno was laughing all the way back to their room. "This is gonna be good, yo." The redhead grabbed his partner's tie and pulled him down for a quick kiss. "We should do this more often."

Rude: Rude smirked, "Just not often enough to get caught." Rude went over and sat on their couch, sprawling lazily.

Reno: "Sounds fair." Reno took off his shoes and jacket, then sat at the end of the couch, leaning back with a sigh.

Rude: Rude stretched out his leg and nudged Reno with his foot, "Now what?"

Reno: Reno smirked at the man then crawled over him, lazily dropping like a bag of sand and yawning. "I don't know." The redhead ran his fingers over Rude's neck. He frowned and began removing the man's jacket. "How can you stand staying in yer work clothes that long?"

Rude: Rude grinned, "Not my fault you don't take me out of them fast enough." He said on a yawn.

Reno: Reno laughed and completely removed Rude's jacket, throwing it on the floor. He returned to his former spot and nuzzled the other Turk's chin. He began to fall asleep within a few minutes.

Rude: "Sugar, we are not sleeping on the couch when we have a bed." Rude lumbered to his feet and keeping Reno in his arms he walked to the bedroom and flopped them onto the bed.

Reno: "Mmmmm." was all Reno managed in response. The redhead snuggled into Rude and mumbled again. "Mind takin' my hair down, yo?" Reno was unbelievably lazy once he had dozed off.

Rude: Rude sleepily took the band out of Reno's hair and fell asleep running his fingers through the mass.


	14. Chapter 19

Reno: Reno grumbled, not wanting to get up. He knew he had a mission but he was kind of hoping someone else would take it.

Rude: "Reeno~" Rude rubbed a hand up and down Reno's arm, "It's time to get up lover, you'll be late."

Reno: "Meeeehhhh." Reno shuffled around under the blankets and covered his head with his pillow. "I'm dead." came his muffles response.

Rude: Rude licked the back or Reno's neck as he took the pillow, "If you were dead you wouldn't be so warm love."

Reno: Reno's cat ears and tail came out and goose bumps covered his skin when Rude touched him. He looked at the man with sleepy eyes. "Come ooon. I'm still tired...wanna sleep."

Rude: Rude flipped the covers off of them and tugged lightly on Reno's tail when he saw it, "Nope, up and at 'em Red."

Reno: Reno sat up and yawned. "I'm still freakin' tired." he sulked and scratched behind one of his fluffy ears. He leaned against Rude and closed his eyes again.

Rude: Rude grinned, "You really wanna miss all the ichy action today?" He was hoping to entice the man out of bed, Rude was one of the Turks who had to scout today.

Reno: Reno's eyes popped open when he remembered his little prank. He shot out of bed and got dressed. "c'mon! We don't wanna miss it!" He cheered, quickly trying to tie back his hair.

Rude: Rude chuckled and climbed out of bed to get dressed before making toast for breakfast and grabbing a glass of milk.

Reno: "We don't have time for breakfast, yo! The cadets will be getting up soon!" Reno was far too impatient for his own good but never seemed to notice. The redhead tried to pull his sneakers on but lost his balance and simply wound up doing a face plant for not slowing down

Rude: Rude laughed at his partner as he sat at the table to eat his breakfast. "We won't miss anything Red, did you even check the time?"

Reno: Reno stood and brushed himself off. He walked over to the bedside table to see it was an hour before the cadets would be up. "How was I supposed to know?" he asked sheepishly and went to the fridge for some orange juice. The redhead grabbed a banana and sat down on 'his' couch.

Rude: Rude chuckled, "By checking the clock obviously." He finished eating and then walked over to the couch. Leaning down he kissed Reno's cheek, "I've gotta go check in and get the list of all the Cadets, I'm scouting for possible Turks today." He grinned widely.

Reno: "Bleh. Noobs. They're so annoying!" he complained as he finished off his banana. "Rufus wants me to go with some others and check out some crime scene. It's a boring mission but he said I'd be good at it so if it gets more money in my pocket, I'm all for it."

Rude: Rude chuckled, "Yeah, sound right up your alley. Have fun."

Reno: Reno raised an eyebrow. "How is something like that 'up my alley'? It's such a dull task." He stood up, finishing off his juice and tossing his glass in the sink. He scuffed up his hair until it was its usual mess and walked out with his partner.

Rude: "I'm sure you'll see." Was Rude's only comment on the matter as they walked down the halls to work.

Reno: "Whatever, yo. I gotta go. The boss said I could fly my baby to the sight!" Reno grinned. He always flew the chopper when he got the chance. He stalled for a moment and gave Rude a quick kiss, causing him to blush slightly.

Rude: Rude smiled, "You might wanna take care of the cat parts before you leave love." Rude gestured to Tseng that he was ready for his list of classes to attend for the day.

Reno: "Shit! You could have reminded me BEFORE I left the room!" He said, covering his ears, which soon disappeared along with his tail.

Rude: "You'll survive, we didn't pass anyone anyway." Rude smacked the redhead's ass as he moved away to get his list and get to work.

Reno: Reno sighed and reluctantly went up to his chopper. He couldn't help but smile as it started up and began to lift off the ground. If there was one thing that always cheered him up it was his helicopter. The Turk flew off with a few others, ready to investigate the scene.

Rude: Rude walked over to Tseng and grinned at his boss, "So, what classes do I have to scout?"

Tseng: Tseng was a bit wary of the grin, "Do I want to know what you've done? And you'll be taking the Materia classes."

Rude: Rude winked, "Probably not. I only get Materia? Lamesauce... the weapons skill classes are gonna be a riot today." Rude wandered off with his list of classes and the Cadets in them.

Reno: When Reno finally landed he and the others began to search the small building they were told was the place a recent murder had taken place. Many of the people in the town gave them a hated look but Reno simply smirked at them. He was used to being hated after he became a Turk. The redhead walked into a room on the bottom floor and heard a strange sound. It was a faint tick. When he realized what it was, it was too late. A blast burst throughout the building, knocking Reno out. After a few minutes he came to. The Turk noticed he couldn't hear very well and his sight was blurred. He tried to stand but fell back down. When he turned and looked down he yelled. Reno grabbed for his phone and quickly dialed Rude's number.

Rude: Rude had asked Shane to take video or at least pictures of her weapons skills classes for him, he didn't tell her why, but she had agreed. He'd been watching Cadets fidget in the Materia classroom four hours, while it was amusing and he had found some potential candidates for the Turks, he was bored. Then his phone rang, well vibrated, he pulled it out to check the number. 'Reno shouldn't be calling me when he's on a mission.' Rude thought as he walked out the back door to the classroom and answered, "Red?"

Reno: Reno's voice was raspy and labored. "R-Rude...There was...a bomb. This was a set up. Tell the boss. We have injured and d-dead. We need medics out here now." Reno paused for a moment. "Damn it. Try not to panic a'right but I-I took a bit of damage." He looked back at his body. "It's my leg...It's gone."

Rude: "Fuck!" Rude's outburst had the SOLDIERs wandering the halls stilling and glancing at him. When they saw it was a Turk cursing they scattered, several going to find the Generals. "Alright, just... sit tight, we'll get there as fast as we can." Rude was already moving to the medical bay to see about gathering a crew, once he hung up with Reno he'd call Tseng and get himself a replacement for scouting.

Reno: "Just hurry, a'right? Shit! Stay ba-" The line went dead when the phone was knocked from his hand. Reno looked up to see a man holding a gun to his head. "You Turks are nothing but trouble." he said. Reno noticed a gun from one of the dead Turks and somehow managed to grab it. He took aim and shot the man right between the eyes then dropped it. "Fuck..." He looked over to the phone and slammed his fist on the floor when he saw it had closed.

Rude: As the phone cut off Rude began full on running down the halls, he dialed Tseng on the way. "Boss! Reno's legless, there was a bomb, I'm headed to medical, send someone to replace me for scouting!"

Tseng: Tseng had answered the phone expecting the bald Turk to commence complaining about the Materia classes, but what he got sent him flying from his chair and out the door of his office yelling, "Elena! Tell Veld to give clearance to Rude at Medical for a team to take and recover Reno's crew! Kane go to Medical and get his sheet for scouting and finish his run for the day. Shane, Kayleen, Remmy, Lucas! All of you head out with Rude. If there was a bomb then this was a set up and we're going to find who did it." The Turks scattered.

Reno: Reno crawled under a table to remain hidden in case anyone else came in. He groaned in pain and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. "A'right, calm down. Yer a Turk. You can deal with this." Reno looked at his legs and cringed, seeing the left had been blown off below the knee and the right was pretty bloody and torn but it didn't seem to be broken.

Rude: Rude got to medical just as Veld's call went through and Kane showed up to take his list. Kane told him that Lucas would be piloting and that Shane and Kaylee were going with him as well. Rude nodded and headed for the copter with the medical crew. As they lifted off he kept thinking at Reno, 'Just be alive when I get there, please.'

Reno: Things had been quiet for a while. Reno had drifted in and out of consciousness a few times but tried his best to stay awake to protect himself. His eyes popped open when he heard a very familiar sound. It was difficult to hear but he knew it was a chopper. "About time, yo..." he joked to himself.

Lucas: Lucas settled the chopper in the space next to where what was left of Reno's baby was, "He is not gonna be happy about that."

Shane: Shane shook her head, "Nope, but he doesn't need to worry about it at the moment." Kayleen agreed.

Rude: "You guys fan out and find our people, everyone stay in contact. Let's go." Rude hopped out and took a member from the med team with him into the still falling into itself building to search for Reno.

Reno: Reno heard footsteps and pulled himself out from under the table. It took a lot of strength but he finally made it to the doorway. The second he saw Rude he smiled. "Yo, Rude...over here..." he called.

Rude: Hearing Reno's voice Rude's head whipped over to the side to find him, "Shit! God Reno." The woman from the med staff who'd come with him hurried over to Reno, she saw the amount of damage and called for someone to bring her a stretcher, just then Rude got several calls, each Turk had found another survivor. Rude looked around the remainder of the room, noting the dead Turks and the man with a bullet in his head. "Shouldn't send only one man to sweep up a nest of Turks, that's just stupid." He searched the man for ID...

Reno: Reno hauled himself over to Rude. He knew he should be letting the medics carry him away but he'd been pretty worried his partner wouldn't have found him in time and it was a huge relief to know he would live. The Turk rested his head on Rude's lap and breathed heavily. He gripped onto Rude's pants and stayed there. "Thanks..."

Rude: "Always partner." Rude ran his fingers through Reno's ponytail, "Let the medics get you onto the chopper, we'll take care of everything here." He wanted to kiss Reno but didn't know who could possibly be watching, showing a card like that to the enemy wouldn't be wise. He found ID on the man and what was most likely his gun nearby, he lifted Reno onto the stretcher himself when it arrived.

Reno: Reno clenched his teeth, trying not to yell as the medics began to apply pressure to his wounds. Once they were in the chopper, ready to take him back they began sticking him with needles for fluids to prevent shock, a blood pack to replace what he'd lost, and a few others Reno couldn't quite see. "Fuck!" The redhead began cursing nonstop when they tried to treat and bandage his leg. "Fuck off and Wait until the pain meds kick in damn it!"

Rude: Rude grabbed up the Sig and ID sticking them and a lock of hair into a baggy. He went and gathered the ID tags from those Turks that he found. He called Legend and told him to fly the invalids back while the three of them continued going over the site.

Lucas: Lucas got to the chopper just as Shane and Kayleen did with their own Turks, Shane was carrying Gwendowlyn, the blonde woman unconscious and her head bleeding. "I'm gonna fly everyone back, Rude's orders, you two are to join him in sweeping up."

Kayleen: Kayleen and Shane nodded looking at Reno and back at each other, they knew it was going to be a long night. Rude wasn't going to leave the site until he knew he wouldn't find anything else.

Reno: Reno lifted his head and looked the two Turks with a questioning expression. "W-Why's Rude stayin' here? The mission's over. Not to mention a total failure!" He rested his head back down and frowned. 'Failue, huh? Guess ya were wrong, boss...I'm not too good at this kind of stuff after all.' he thought. Reno froze when he realized something. Would Rufus even keep him around? He would have one fuckin' leg! Were his days as a Turk...over?

Lucas: Lucas answered him as the girls moved off to flank Rude, "Rude is staying because Tseng wants to know how we ended up with false information and ended up with our Turks in a trap." He didn't mention that Rude would probably find even the smallest thing out about it because it was now a vendetta to him to find the people who'd hurt his partner.

Reno: Reno nodded and tried to remain calm as the medics continued to dress his wounds. "Well you can tell'em I'm not leavin' without him. He's quick at gathering evidence so it shouldn't be a problem."

Lucas: "No can do Reno. He told me to take you guys back right now. And unless you wanna go find him and argue with him about it you can be my guest. I ain't doin it." Lucas shuddered as he remembered the last time someone had gone against Rude's orders. *Lucas and Shane had been bummed that they were passed over for promotion but they felt that Rude deserved it more, so it was okay. Gwendolyn had gone on an op with the man and come back nearly dead, Rude having sent her back before the mission was over because she decided to do things her way instead of his. But not only that, the other Turks on the mission shot Rude down for sending her back even though she was in such bad shape. When they'd returned Rude had lectured them all within an inch of their lives. He wasn't promoted to 2nd for nothing.*

Reno: Reno grit his teeth and shot up. He hopped on his 'good leg' to get to the chopper's door and yelled. "Rude! Get yer ass over here NOW! I swear to Gaia if ya ignore me I'll shove my fuckin' electric rod up that pompous ass of yers so come here!" If there was one thing Reno hated more than anything it was not having control of any sort. It pissed him off beyond belief. "Damn it, Rude! Come here!"

Rude: Rude grinned as he could hear Reno from where he was, telling Shane and Kayleen to stand guard over the dead man's body he walked back out to see Reno 'standing'. "Goddamnit Red!" He exploded running over and sweeping the man into his arms he deposited him on the gurney again and tied him down to it. "You are going back to base, you are going to debrief bossman on everything! You are going to do it without a fuss or I will knock you out right now." Rude glared at him his eyes hard, "We are staying until Legend here can come back so we can get the rest of the bodies, especially the man who isn't part of our team. We don't know who orchestrated this and I intend to find out. Besides we don't know who's about, they could just be waiting to bomb this copter like they did your baby. You are leaving." The finality in his voice made the other Turks and the Med staff freeze. "Am I clear Turk Reno?"

Reno: Reno knew Rude was serious but he was probably the only person who didn't fear him when he was like this. The redhead hocked a logy right into Rude's eye and began struggling to get loose again like a trapped animal. "God DAMN IT! Untie me before I bite yer fuckin' balls off! I don't care how tough ya think ya are! You know damn well ya don't scare me, pal! Let me GOOOOO!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Reno was writhing around, getting more and more furious.

Rude: Rude sighed, "I love you Red." He punched the man who held his heart, knocking him unconscious. "Get them out of here Legend." He climbed out and closed the door watching as Lucas took off and headed back to HQ. He walked back into the building, "Shotgun, Knife, let's do this shit." The women nodded and fanned out it took several hours and Lucas made several trips with bodies back to HQ before anything truly significant happened.

Kayleen: "Boss, I think I hear someone humming." Kayleen said through her headset.

Rude: "Where are you?" Rude asked.

Kayleen: "Basement floor, over by the chimney." She whispered back.

Rude: "Don't move, me and Shotgun will be right there." He clicked off and motioned to Shane to follow him. They headed down and as they got closer to where Kayleen was standing they could hear the humming too. Rude motioned them to flank him and then kicked a spot on the wall near the chimney where the sound seemed to be coming from. The wall fell away to reveal a little girl with light blue eyes and red hair. "Umm... who are you?"

Little Girl: The girl looked up, "Will you take me out of here? I ran away from Hojo and his stupid experiments, but I got lost, I need to find my sister!" The small voice was panicked.

Rude: "No worries. We'd be taking you back to ShinRa HQ, but you won't have to worry about Hojo, he's dead. We won't let anything happen to you." The little girl nodded and took his hand. After that they headed back to base themselves.


	15. Chapter 20

Reno: When Reno woke up he was in a hospital bed. He sat up and looked at his leg. He'd obviously been through surgery to fix it up for a clean amputation. He remembered Rude had knocked him out. "You selfish bastard..." He ripped the sheets off himself and stood, ripping out the many needles they had stuck him with. He grabbed the crutch nearby and slowly made his way out the door. The doctor saw him and ran over. He had been warned that Reno was short tempered and stubborn and tried to reason with him. The Turk simply back handed the man and continued going down the hall. "I'll show him. 'I love you, Red.' Like FUCK ya do!"

Rude: Rude took the girl, whose name was Shelke, to Tseng and asked how Reno was doing.

Tseng: Tseng shook his head sadly, "Not good, they say you may have put him in a comma. He's not responding to anything. But other than that he's fine." The Wutain man's voice was hard with barely contained anger. An anger that was completely fake and he was trying his best not to crack up laughing. He'd just gotten a call from medical that Reno was in a rage and on his way down, cat ears and tail flicking and only a flimsy hospital gown covering him. As he'd answered Rude's question Reno had crutched into the room, hearing and seeing the whole thing.

Rude: Rude paled and sat heavily on the floor covering his face with his hands. Every naughty word he'd ever heard before ran through his head and he began shaking as he cried over his stupidity. "I should have just let him stay. *hic* But I was so worried about him..."

Tseng: Tseng took the girl to his office and closed the door leaving his second to cry on the floor, the other Turks took their cue from him and fled the office space.

Reno: Reno saw Rude sobbing on the floor. He hobbled his way over and gave him a good crack over the head. "So how many beatings am I gonna have to give ya for what ya did?"

Rude: Rude flinched from the sudden wack to his head but then looked up as Reno's voice washed over him. He blinked dumbly for about a whole minute, "Yer... yer okay? Tseng... said..." Rude covered his face again trying to get a grip on his emotions, he looked up at Reno with a watery smile, "As many as you want love."

Reno: "Why're ya cryin'? Get a grip, yo. I came here to ask you something." Reno clenched his fist and gave Rude one last smack over the head. "Why the fuck did you get rid of me?! That was my mission! I had every right to stay there until a higher ranking officer told me otherwise! You all may think I'm just some throw away extra but I'm not! I'm a Turk and I will NOT be looked down on, leg or no leg!" Reno's face was bright red from yelling. His anger was at an all-time high.

Rude: "Red, I used to out rank you so shut up! Besides, you said the mission was over, that means there was no reason for you to stay. MY mission however was to find out who tried to blow you up!" Rude rose to his feet in order to glare down at Reno, "And who the heck would think of you as a throw away extra! For fuck's sake Romano! You're a commanding officer of the goddamn TURKS! No one is willing to 'throw you away'!" Rude huffed, "You could have died of wounds like that, I wasn't going to let that happen!"

Reno: "Don't you dare...look down on me. You USED to out rank me but not anymore. I may be a clutsy idiot but I'm damn good at what I do." Reno gaze fell to the floor. He bit his lip when he was reminded his ShinRa days may be over. "At least...I used to be. Also, NEVER use my real name. I thought you'd know better. You are a Turk after all."

Rude: Rude flinched, "Fine, I won't." He turned and walked out of the office area, going to his room and locking the door before throwing himself on his bed.

Reno: Reno wasn't gonna let Rude run off like a child. As childish as the redhead seemed, he knew when to run and when to stand for his word. He banged his fist on the door. "Open the door and let me in. Grow up so we can finish this." His voice was calm but firm. He wanted Rude to understand. Reno didn't want to hurt him but even he could see they had to sort this out.

Rude: Rude couldn't understand what was so wrong about protecting those he loved, maybe he shouldn't love people if it was so complicated and all he ever did was make them feel inferior and angry with him. He wouldn't regret sending Reno to get medical help, and he wouldn't regret doing his mission. They'd found a lot of evidence and he was sure they'd catch whoever it was that had nearly killed his partner. But all he wanted to do was hold him, though even though he was allowed to use the other Turks' actual names, he wasn't allowed to use his partners. That one hurt. He ignored the pounding on his door and simply lay on his bed staring into space, tears sliding down his face.

Reno: "Rude...Please? Just open the door. I'm sorry for snapping. I just got frustrated." He tapped the door once more. "Please? I just want to talk." Reno looked up when he heard small sobs from the other side then bowed his head with guilt. "Rude. I'm so sorry."

Rude: He caved, he wiped his eyes on his still bloody and dust covered sleeve and went to open the door. Rude just stood there resisting the urge to touch the man who meant so much to him, not knowing if it would be welcomed. He stared at a point just to the left of Reno's shoulder, unable to look at him without doing /something/.

Reno: Reno gave the man a weak smile but didn't walk in, not sure if Rude wanted him to leave. "I'm sorry. I just...It felt like you were throwing me away. Like I was some broken doll that wasn't useful anymore. And I gotta tell ya. That's a fuckin' scary feeling." Reno wasn't having trouble explaining his emotions for once. He wasn't sure why but it seemed to be a bit better than before. He shook his head when he got a bit dizzy. He'd been told to stay in bed but he had to talk to Rude.

Rude: Rude saw how Reno's eyes unfocused and bent to pick the man up and walked over to the single puffy arm chair in his living room, sitting down with the redhead in his lap. "I couldn't ever throw you away Reno." 'You mean too much to me,' He thought to himself. "And you're not broken, you've kind of proved that by marching all over the place on a crutch, kitty mode active and barely covered."

Reno: Reno laughed but his smile faded when he noticed how bloodshot Rude's eyes were. He ran his thumb over the man's cheek, wiping away the cold streams. "Please don't cry. I really don't care if you use my name. I guess it just reminded me of when a parent's pissed at ya so they use yer full name." He chuckled and kissed Rude's cheek in apology.

Rude: Rude smirked, "Well I was kind of irked at you. I can't believe you would think anyone thinks that way of you."

Reno: "They don't say it but I do think they don't take me seriously. Also..." Reno hung his head. "What does ShinRa need with a crippled, immature Turk?" He truly felt useless.

Rude: "The same thing they needed a non-crippled, immature Turk for." To keep us all from letting our job as assassin's kill our morality and humor. Plus they'd have one insane Second in Command if they got rid of you. Or I guess they'd just have to promote two new people cause I'd leave where ever they sent you." Rude kissed Reno's forehead.

Reno: Reno looked away and tried to make a sob look like a cough. He wanted to be strong for his partner but he never thought anyone would be so committed to him in his life. "Ahem!" He cleared his throat one last time. "I'm glad t-to hear it."

Rude: Rude smiled down at the man in his arms, "I love you Reno. So much. But you should really go back to medical." Rude didn't even /want/ to know how much damage Reno had caused to himself and others by leaving the med bay like he obviously had.

Reno: Reno nuzzled against Rude's chest and sniffled. "I don't want you to ditch me again." He held on to the other Turk's jacket and pulled himself closer. "Please don't leave me alone again."

Rude: "Oh sweetheart, I'd stay with you." Rude grinned at the needy man, not really registering that he would probably get hit for calling him that. "But you need to be where you can be taken care of. I don't have a medical degree after all." He rose to his feet with Reno in his arms and grabbed a small blanket from the bed to wrap around him before carrying him and his crutch - tucked under his arm - back down to medical.

Reno: Reno still wasn't fond of nicknames but he didn't really mind anymore, in fact, it was slightly comforting at times like this. "Thanks, Rude. I was wondering though. Could you get Rufus to come see me?" Reno fell silent for a moment. "I need to ask him some questions."

Rude: "Sure thing love." Rude walked through the doors at medical and it was like everyone in there breathed a sigh of relief.

Doctor: "Place him over here please." A doctor motioned to the bed that Reno had vacated earlier and Rude made him comfortable on the cot. When he stepped away to call Tseng about Rufus the doctors checked Reno over for more damage.

Reno: Reno allowed them to reinsert the needles but smacked them away when they tried to check him over further. Reno never liked hospitals and wasn't used to people poking and touching him. "I'm fine! I'm just tired."

Rude: The doctors took their leave then, not wanting the man to get fed up and leave again. Rude smiled as he hung up with Tseng, "You goon, Tseng's gonna bring Rufus down to see you some time tomorrow. Apparently President ShinRa has a lot of meetings today and won't be able to make, but he's glad yer not dead." Rude pulled a chair over and sat next to Reno's bed.

Reno: Reno chuckled. "Heh sure he is. Rufus knows he can get new Turks with a few phone calls. One dead Turk doesn't matter to a guy like him." He looked down and placed a hand over where his leg once was and hung his head.

Rude: "You know that isn't true Red." Rude frowned at him, the whole melancholy thing was beginning to bug him. If Reno didn't stop acting like he was useless Rude didn't know what he'd do to him, but he knew Reno wouldn't like it.

Reno: "I'm sure you could ask any high rank in ShinRa and they'd say they valued us as Turks but if you asked them what they thought of us as people, they wouldn't care. It's not a big deal. I've just made sure I worked hard enough to be valuable in their eyes and it's worked so far." Reno thought it made sense considering how many candidates there were for Turks.

Rude: Rude shook his head but let the subject drop for now, "I'm rather glad you didn't up and die on me. And just for my sake either. I don't think I would have been able to look at Cessnei ever again." Rude's gaze found the covers and stayed locked there like it was doing an amazing trick by covering Reno.

Reno: Reno smiled. "I thought ya knew me better than that, yo! Ya know I'm too stubborn to die." Reno noticed Rude was looking at the covers and sighed. "Something wrong, babe?"

Rude: "No, but there was so much potential for there to be something very wrong. I'm just glad yer okay." Rude looked into his green eyes and smiled, "Why don't you get some sleep love?"

Reno: "Ya really thought I was dead, huh?" Reno placed his hand on Rude's and held it tight. "I'm not goin' anywhere. I promise."

Rude: "You'd better not." Rude took Reno's hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it tenderly, "I just got you where I want you, yer not allowed to leave." He smirked slightly.

Reno: Reno smirked. "where ya want me', huh? A crazy as this may sound; I'm not in the mood right now. I'm really tired from walking around." he said with a long yawn. His red ears and tail popped out and he began scratching behind them.

Rude: Rude shook his head, "I don't think you even realize what I mean Red." He chuckled, "Get some sleep, I'll be right here."

Reno: "What did ya mean then?" Reno found Rude hard to understand at times but he was sure it was partly because he just took it in a dirty way or hadn't been listening closely enough.

Rude: Rude smiled at him, "Don't worry about it. If you still wanna know when you wake up I'll tell you then, but you need to rest."

Reno: Reno frowned. "I'm not sleepin' until ya tell me. Don't say somethin' then leave me hangin'." Reno crossed his arms and stared at his partner, refusing to sleep.

Rude: Rude sighed and rolled his eyes, "Stubborn as always. I just meant that we finally know that we aren't joking about loving each other. That's all. It's a nice place to be." Rude blushed and looked back down at the covers.

Reno: Reno blushed and smiled. "Of course I am. It's one of my 'gifts'." he joked. "But yer right. Knowing ya mean it when ya say ya love me is...well." Damn it. Once again, Reno couldn't find the words he needed. "It's relaxing? No uh...'comforting'? No...Damn it! I don't know." He frowned and tried to think of the right words

Rude: Rude smiled, "I know." He kissed Reno's hand again, "Sleep." He urged.

Reno: Reno nodded and laid down, groaning in slight pain. His muscles were sore, his vision and hearing were still a bit messed up, his head was throbbing, and what was left of his leg felt like it was on fire. "When did the nurse say I could get another injection for the pain?"

Rude: Rude chuckled, "As soon as you were willing to take one." He motioned over a nurse to dope up his partner.

Reno: Reno pouted. "Shush." He'd forgotten he refused most of his treatment because of his little rage attack earlier. He winced when she injected him but fortunately for him, it was a fast acting drug. Within a few minutes things got a little funny for him but in a calming way. He shook his head and kept nearly flopping forward but caught himself.

Rude: Rude laid his partner back in the bed and kissed his forehead, "Night Red." He sat back down in the chair he'd pulled up and rested his head on the bed.

Reno: Reno ran his hand over Rude's head as he slowly began to drift off. "Night...I *yaaawn*...I l...love ya babe..." With that he closed his eyes and snored happily dozing off to dream.


	16. Chapter 21

Rufus: Rufus walked into the medical bay with Tseng and Veld, knowing that Reno probably doubted his place among the Turks. What he saw brought a faint smile to his face before he realized that other people could see him and it vanished behind his usual veneer. Rude was asleep in the chair by the bed, his head resting near Reno's shoulder with Reno's hand resting on it. Both were peacefully sleeping and he didn't really want to wake them, but he had meetings later so he knew he had to do this now. The President walked to the other side of Reno's cot and touched the man's shoulder, "Reno."

Reno: "Hm?" Reno blinked and sat up, waking his partner. "Hey, boss. I have a request to make." Reno's face was determined and strong. "I know I'd be a fuckin' useless Turk with one leg so I have to ask a favor." The redhead wasn't bothering with formalities.

Rude: Rude sat up instantly alert to find Rufus, Tseng and Veld around Reno's cot.

Rufus: Rufus raised an eyebrow, "Useless just because you are missing part of one of your legs?" He turned to look at Tseng, "He's joking right? We have the most advanced technology on the planet and he thinks we can't get him a new body part?" He turned back to Reno before Tseng could comment one way or another, not that he would have considering the comment was rhetorical. "Unless of course the bombing has altered your capability to think? As far as I am concerned you are still my first in command after Tseng." His blue eyes bored into Reno's green ones, "However I shall listen to your request first."

Reno: Reno smirked. "Guess ya beat me to the punch. I was going to tell ya I don't care what papers ya signed or what phone calls you made. I'm NOT leaving the Turks. The day my days at ShinRa are over will be the day I die. Tseng! Go to one of the labs and tell them I'll need the strongest they can make. It has to be just a good, if not better than the one I lost." He wasn't sure why but he'd never felt more in control than right now even though he was the one in the bed with a missing limb.

Tseng: Tseng quirked a brow, "Bossy little redhead isn't he?" He questioned the room in general, getting several exaggerated nods from the doctors and nurses who heard him. Tseng chuckled lightly and looked to Rufus and Veld.

Veld: Veld nodded his head, "I'll talk to the science department and medical divisions about setting it up, no worries. You'll be right as rain soon enough Reno." Veld left to get everything in order.

Rufus: Rufus nodded his head, "He most definitely is bossy. But at least he has the decency to call us 'boss' like he's supposed to." The blonde grinned at them. "Rest up Reno, cause by this afternoon, whether you are still confined to this bed or not, you'll be doing paper work. I want a full report about your fatal mission, that goes for you as well Rude, a full written report."

Tseng: Tseng gave them both a soft smile, "I'll have someone check in with you guys later." He left with Rufus.

Reno: Reno couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, Rude. I'm sorry I haven't been myself. I lost sight of things I guess. But like I said, I'll remain a Turk as long as I have air in my lungs and a heartbeat." Reno ran his palm over Rude's cheek lovingly.

Rude: "Yer fine Red." Rude smiled at him, "Being a Turk really means that much to you huh?"

Reno: "Are ya kidding? It's my fuckin' life! Well...actually..." Reno's face went bright red. He slowly got out of his bed, knelt on the floor, and rested his head on Rude's lap. "That's not true. You are." His body shook and he felt as though his heart would burst from his chest. "You've been my closest friend since I can remember. I couldn't be happier to have you as my partner but I have to ask you..." Reno gulped. "I...I want you to be my 'partner'...forever. Diego, I love you more than anything else in this world. I know I have a bright future but I want to share it with you. I don't have a fancy ring, or a great speech but...Will you be mine?"

Rude: Rude just sat there for a moment, staring down at Reno who had a stub leg and yet was knelt of the floor before him. He blinked a couple of times before a giddy grin ripped his face open, he swept Reno up into his arms and kissed him hard. "I already am Ronan."

Reno: 'Yes?' He said yes'? Reno felt tears begin to creep up on him but tried to hold them back, not wanting to make this perfect moment awkward. The redhead nuzzled into the crook of Rude's neck to hide his face until he got a hold of his emotions. For the first time in a while he could be his calm laid back self. He was on cloud nine and his stomach was filled with butterflies. He felt as though his heart would burst.

Rude: Rude grinned and held Reno closer as he nuzzled into him. Fighting tears he laid the redhead back down on his bed and kissed his forehead. "I don't anything besides you... well keeping my job would be nice... y'know, money's always helpful." He grinned.

Reno: Reno wrapped his arms around Rude's neck, not willing to let him go. He blinked and a few tears rolled down his pale cheeks. "Heh. Sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't cry but *sniffle* guess I lied." he joked.

Rude: Rude kissed the tears away from Reno's face, "S'okay Red, happy tears are meant to be shared."

Reno: Reno knew Rude was probably uncomfortable leaned over him like that but he wanted to stay close to his love. The redhead reluctantly let go and rested his head back down, his thoughts now spinning out of control.

Rude: Rude smiled down at him, "So, you wanna wait and tell Cessnei about this after she's back?"

Reno: "Yeah. Havin' a baby's enough for now." he said with a laugh. Reno's eyes went wide. "Wait...Yer gonna be her bro in law! Haha! I never even thought about that! Damn...I still can't wrap my head around all of this. One minute I have no one, the next, I have my sister, a niece or nephew, and...a fiancé." Reno's expression was dazed and he had the silliest smile on his face, obviously daydreaming.

Rude: Rude shook his head at Reno's antics, "No worries. You'll get yer noggin around it somehow."

Reno: "Yeah, yer right. Ow!" Reno looked down to see some blood was seeping through the bandages on his leg. "Fuck! love could you grab the gauze? The doc said I have to re-bandage it if the bleeding gets too heavy." He cringed and held his severed leg.

Rude: "Sure thing." Rude moved about getting the things required before going through the actions of re-bandaging his partner's leg. "Better?"

Reno: Reno cringed in pain and closed his eyes at the sight of his leg. "Gugh! Fuckin' gross!" Reno sighed. "Yo, Rude? When do ya think my replacement will be ready?" Reno grabbed his crutch and stood.

Rude: "Don't know, it really depends on how fast everything can be got ready. But I doubt it'll be done anytime today. And where are you going?" Rude watched as Reno got up from the cot.

Reno: Reno smiled at his partner. "Well a Turk's gotta stay strong, don't he? I can't waist away in bed if I want to stay strong!" The redhead walked to the door and motioned for Rude to follow. "I gotta go see the boss. There's something I forgot to tell him."

Rude: "Reno." Rude snickered, "You /might/ wanna put some actual cloths on first."

Reno: Reno froze and blushed. "Uh...heh. Good Idea." He turned around and began dressing himself but stopped with a puzzled expression. "Damn it. I can't get my fuckin' pants on if I don't got a leg to balance on..." He slowly turned to his partner. "Awkward question, but think ya can help?"

Rude: Rude smiled as he walked over to balance his partner, "How is that an awkward question? An awkward question would be asking me to get a gerbil out of yer ass. Cause I don't even wanna know how it got there."

Reno: Reno burst out laughing. "What the fuck, yo?!" The redhead continued to laugh as he finished getting dressed. "Thanks." He grabbed his crutch and made his way out to Rufus' office.

Rude: Rude just grinned and followed his partner out of the medical bay. He however went to the office to sort through paperwork for a while, while Reno talked to Rufus.

Reno: Reno knocked on Rufus' door. "Yo, Boss? Can I talk to ya fer a sec?"

Rufus: Rufus looked up from the paperwork he'd been staring at unseeing for the last couple of minutes, he's last video-call with Reeve still flashing through his head. "Come in Reno."

Reno: Reno wobbled his way over to the desk and smiled. "I forgot to tell ya something when ya came to visit."

Rufus: Rufus gave the redhead an exasperatedly quizzical look as he folded his hands before him, his elbows resting on the desk. "Oh and what would that be?"

Reno: "Ya gotta come over here. I can't say it loud." Reno's grin grew slightly.

Rufus: "Reno," Rufus sighed and steepled his hands, "I am not moving from my seat. There is no one else in this office and it's bloody soundproof because of Sephiroth's damned hearing. Just say it. I've no time for your games at the moment, I happen to be busy."

Reno: Reno continued to smile but refused to move. "I may be missing a leg but that don't mean I'm any less stubborn. I'll stand here all day and ya know it."

Rufus: "And I will sit here and continue working until you stop wasting your time." Rufus turned back to reading the report set before him, making notations on it that he would have to address later.

Reno: Reno stood where he was and began humming 'my little pony', grinning at his superior's face.

Rufus: Rufus turned to his computer and turned Megadeath on, turning up the volume to drown out Reno while he continued to work.

Reno: Reno found this little 'fight' quite entertaining. He picked one of the mints the nurse had given him and flicked it at Rufus' forehead.

Rufus: Rufus ignored the breath freshener that nailed him in the forehead with the exception of sweeping it out of his way as he continued to write.

Reno: The redhead made sure he aimed just right and pecked Rufus square in the eye with another.

Rufus: Rufus sighed and rubbed at his eye before putting on the fencing mask he had next to his desk. Working out with Tseng on a regular basis had produced the necessity of having the suit around at all times. Once it was on he resumed his work.

Reno: Reno frowned when he realized he had run out of 'ammo' and sighed. "Damn it, boss. Can ya just stand up fer a second?"

Rufus: Rufus sighed yet again and looked up at his most annoying Turk, "And exactly why do you require that I stand Reno?"

Reno: Reno tilted his head and gave the blonde a begging look without even noticing. "Please? I gotta tell ya somethin' important."

Rufus: Rufus rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, "I do not see how you telling me something requires that I stand."

Reno: "I know. And it ain't gonna make sense until ya get up." he explained

Rufus: "Reno I do not have time for this. Either tell me why I must stand or telling whatever it is without me doing so." Rufus was exasperated.

Reno: "No can do, Sir. I'm afraid I'll have waist more of yer time by not moving because until ya stand I can't say it." Reno was happy he was fairly strong. His leg wouldn't have held up very well otherwise.

Rufus: Rufus was a bit wary, he didn't generally do anything Reno asked of him because of all the pranks the man had pulled on him. But 'what the hell, why not'? He removed the headgear and came around his desk to lean against it in front of Reno and simply stared at the man in a bored fashion.

Reno: Reno smiled, dropped his crutch, quickly wrapped an arm around the blonde and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you Rufus." he whispered, not caring for formality. "I couldn't imagine life without ShinRa, the Turks, and dare I say, even you, ya frumpy git. So thanks fer keepin' me around."

Rufus: Rufus' eyes went wide as his Turk grabbed him into a hug, his folded arms freezing in place for a heartbeat before they nervously attempted to regain him his balance. For a long while the president didn't know what to say and simply stood there awkwardly, then, "You're a good Turk Reno, short of actual death, you will remain one. Besides," He shrugged his way out of the embrace, "If I got rid of you I'd lose Rude as well. I'd rather not lose two Turks for no reason." He dusted himself off before looking back at Reno, "Are we done here?"

Reno: Reno smirked at his superior's gruff reaction. "Can't say I expected any different from ya. Yer always so predictable with this shit."

Rufus: Rufus took on an indifferent air, comically looking around the room at nothing at all, "I don't know what you mean." He sniffed, tossing his delicate nose in the air and brushing his hair from his face with the back of his hand, distain bleeding into his voice. He walked around and retook his seat before grinning openly at Reno, "You tell anyone about this Ronan Sinclaire, a.k.a. Reno," He paused for dramatic effect and to obtain a serious and disapproving facade, "And I will have Sephiroth torture Rude."

Reno: "One, don't use my real name. Only friends can do that. Two, I'd slit yer throat if ya tried to lay a hand on my p..." Reno paused and gave a slightly more serious aura. "My fiancé." Reno thought he'd almost be embarrassed to say something like that but he could actually say it with a lot of pride.

Rufus: "That was the bloody point Reno! It's a 'threat' for a reason. Get out of my office before I call someone to remove you." Rufus flicked his hand at the man with a shooing motion.

Reno: "That's not something you should threaten me with...sir." Reno's words were laced with malice. He was grateful for what Rufus had done and he didn't care about threats but threatening Rude was crossing the line and not something he would tolerate.

Rufus: "Only because it's a threat that is actually threatening. I do believe I told you to leave Reno. You have work to do and so do I." Rufus looked pointedly from Reno to the door.

Reno: Reno glared at Rufus. He didn't care how helpless he may seem at the moment, hunched over on a crutch with a missing limb. His blood was beginning to boil

Rufus: Rufus rolled his eyes and began typing on his computer, he sent a message to Rude saying that his fiancé needed pick up before the redhead blew up.

Rude: Rude took out his PHS as it buzzed and laughed out right when he read Rufus' message. "Hey Lena, I'll be right back, apparently Rufus pissed off Red and needs rescuing again."

Elena: Elena chuckled, "When will he ever learn." She shook her head and continued filing papers, "Just bring Reno back here, he can help." She grinned evilly.

Rude: Rude texted his boss back saying that he'd be right there and Rufus went back to actually working with a fuming Reno in his office.

Reno: "Ya may be my boss but yer still a spoiled, spoon fed brat, ShinRa! I'm grateful for the replacement but don't make the mistake of thinking I'm afraid to kill yer SOLDIERs to protect Rude. One order to harm him in any way and my hand will be around yer throat. Got that?" Reno needed the Turks but when it came down to his job or Rude it was no contest. Rude would always come first.

Rufus: Rufus turned his music off and simply ignored the threat, being quite used to them. He knew that Reno was serious, but honestly found it amusing when the redheaded Turk couldn't tell when he was joking, so he refrained explaining. It made his life more interesting.

Rude: Rude got to the office to be met with silence on the other side of the door, he didn't bother knocking and just walked in. Seeing Reno balanced there practically spitting fire at their boss and Rufus simply calmly working away at his desk had the shaded Turk doubled over in laughter in about half a second.

Reno: Reno paid Rude no attention and continued to rage. This was the side of Rufus he hated. The snarky little brat that toys with your head. The redhead was done with threats. He picked up the blonde's mug of hot coffee and splashed it over the smirking man, scolding his skin. "Never...threaten...Rude."

Rude: "Reno... *snicker* I love you. But if his threat was to have Sephiroth torture me, *snort* I don't think you've ever heard the Silver General sing before. Trust me, worst torcher on the planet." He moved over and grabbed Reno in a hug still trying to control his laughter. He really couldn't express what Reno's defense of him meant to him and he knew Reno was a little too riled up to appreciate his thanks so he didn't say anything. "We've got work to do Red. Leave our now 'harmed' boss alone before Tseng does something nasty to you for the damages and let's go help Elena."

Reno: Reno's eyes remained on Rufus. The redhead didn't know why but he was unbelievably angry, dominant, and defensive at the same time. "Guess I have work to do. Don't let Tseng rip yer ass too hard there, boss. I know he needs a paycheck but you shouldn't whore yerself out so much." he stated bluntly.

Rufus: Rufus had to fight hard with himself not to laugh at Reno's parting comment as he and Rude left the room. He shook his head and then stood and left his office, on his way to his rooms to change he passed Sephiroth. "No comments General or I'll make you sing at the Christmas party this year." Sephiroth simply grinned and continued on his way.


	17. Chapter 23

**_Chapter 22 can be found on dA._**

Reno: Reno bit his knuckle, mumbling curses over it. His leg throbbed and burned. The smaller Turk caught a glimpse of the floor beneath him and watched the trail of blood get longer and longer as Rude ran him to help. "M's-sorry. I thought it was a bit stronger, yo." he said through pained groans.

Rude: "It's alright Reno," Rude kept up his pace until he was through the med bay doors. The doctors took one look at the commotion and set into action, motioning Rude to a bed in which to lay Reno and grabbing up everything needed to help the Turk. "Just don't fight them alright?" Rude's worried eyes captured Reno's with a plea in them.

Reno: Reno looked into Rude's eyes and nodded. His partner knew he didn't like needles and whatnot but Reno had never told him he was truly terrified of hospitals, doctors and many other things he knew weren't things to really worry about. He'd always hidden it by simply acting annoyed with them. Reno clench his fists on the sheets, trying his best not to swat the nurses and doctor away as they hooked him up to a few things for precautions. The Turk couldn't hold back a holler when the doctor pulled the gauze off, revealing his wound was now infected and began cleaning it out quickly, obviously not wanting to wait for the pain meds to kick in.

Rude: The doctors began work with Rude standing out of the way but not out of sight, he knew they'd start in before the painkiller had a chance to work. But once it kicked in Reno would be fine. And this time his partner was damn well staying in bed until the doc's said he could leave.

Reno: Reno finally cracked when he felt too crowded by the people around him and began shoving them away. "That's enough!" He knew he had to get his leg fixed but he just couldn't shake his fear.

Rude: "Reno!" Rude's sharp tone cut through the room like a knife with fatal precision and silence followed even as the doc's and nurses still worked. "The faster they fix you up the fast they'll be gone. Just look at me. Don't focus on where you are or what's going on, just focus on me."

Reno: The redhead froze when that strong voice hit his ears and looked to his partner but when one of the nurses jabbed his leg with another needle his concentration broke and he swatted him away. "Enough! Get off me!"

Rude: "Damn it Red." The bulky Turk marched over and held his partner down, letting the doc's work around him. He leaned in and kissed the man hard, "Stop, please. I don't want you to hurt anymore."

Reno: Reno shook and clenched his eyes shut as the team of doctors pried, pulled, and poked at him. It was the closest thing he could think of to torture. He whimpered over his partner's soft lips, trying to keep it together. "I can't! I can't!" he said but struggled with himself to stay still. He wanted to listen and just get it over with but those hands and objects just swimming into his space was terrifying. Reno didn't even know where his fear came from. "Let me up! Please, let me up!"

Rude: "No." Rude said simply, the doctor's finished quickly and scattered. Rude waited for Reno to calm down before he let him move around, kissing his face repeatedly.

Reno: Reno only struggled for a moment then started taking some shallow, shaky breaths when he realized the doctors had backed away. He felt Rude's kisses and looked to him. Trying his best to get a hold of his nerves.

Rude: "You gonna live there champ?" Rude asked kissing the man's nose.

Reno: Reno let out a shaky sigh and nodded. "I-I'm sorry." was all he could think to say. He knew it was foolish and was more trouble than it should be. He glanced at the doctors, making sure they were completely done. He looked at each of their hands and made sure they were empty then looked at his freshly bandaged leg.

Rude: "It's okay Reno." Rude stood up and ran a comforting hand through the redhead's bangs. "Yer stayin' in this bed till they tell you otherwise though. I'll sit here the whole time and make sure of it."

Reno: Reno blinked and nodded. He knew that would mean they'd have to check how his leg was doing on a regular basis but if Rude would be there it would be a little easier. He didn't want to worry his love, so he obeyed the man's order. Reno sat up and gave the doctors a death glare. He didn't hate them. It was just the defense he'd used as a kid and it always worked. They backed away and walked out, knowing Reno might go off the handle if he felt too pressured.

Tseng: Tseng got a phone call from Veld stating that there was a blood trail from Reno's chopper to the med bay, he didn't know if Rude or Reno had anything to do with it, or who was damaged. But he wanted the other Turks to check it out. "Elena, take your sister and head up to the heli-pad, check Reno's copter."

Shane: Shane looked up from her paperwork, "Boss? What's going on?"

Tseng: "Shotgun, could you run down to medical and see if Reno and Rude are there? I'd rather not call. And if you see any blood, ignore it for now." Elena, Gwendolyn and Shane rushed out of the offices and Tseng went off to find Remmy. "Rod? Could you take a team and clean up the blood trail throughout the building?"

Remmy: Remmy looked up from his work and nodded his head before moving to do so.

Reno: Reno lifted his head from his pillow when the door creaked open and put on his usual threatening expression, thinking a nurse had come back to mess around with his leg again but sighed in relief when Shane walk in. Reno said nothing to the woman, knowing she probably had questions of some sort.

Shane: "Oh good, it was just you guys. You managed to damage yourself again hey Reno?" Shane asked as she sauntered over to the bed. "Tseng told me to come down here and check to see if you were here. Gun and Elena were sent to the copter. What happened?"

Reno: Reno wasn't about to explain that he and Rude had quite literally 'fucked' his leg up so twisted the truth a bit. "I over worked it before it was healed enough." It wasn't really a lie. Reno just left out most of the details. "I'll go report to Tseng about it, so don't worry 'bout it, a'right?" The redhead glared at the doctor as he walked in. 'One step closer...I dare ya.' he thought to himself. The doctor froze when he saw his patient's piercing eyes seemingly glued to him. He always felt like felt like a deer being stalked when he was in the Turk's presence. He cleared his throat and grabbed some supplies. "I-I just needed to grab some items for another patient. Please excuse me." he said and hurried out of the angry man's room.

Rude: "Reno. You keep that up and I'll make sure yer unconscious until yer fully healed." Rude didn't pity Reno or the doctors, he was honestly just sick of being here. And truly upset that sexing his partner had gotten him so hurt.

Shane: "Um... I have to report back Reno. You can report to Bossman all you want, that doesn't stop me from having to tell him that you're here." Shane shook her head at them and laughed a little as she walked back to the door. Suddenly she spun back around, "Oh! And Cessnei had a little girl about an hour ago. So get better fast so you can go see her!" With that the long haired woman skipped out the door to report back to Tseng.

Reno: "Knock me out again, huh? Ya selfish son of a-" Reno went stiff as a board when Shane's words hit him. He turned to look at the door then back to Rude. "I'm an uncle?" was all he could seem to say.

Rude: Rude chuckled at Reno's arrested expression, "So it would seem. And if wanting you to be healthy is selfish then I will continue to be so. You pigheaded git."

Reno: "It's not like that, babe. I guess I'm still a little irked about the fact that ya'd do that when I was that scar-mad..." he stuttered. "I know yer not selfish...I just got pissed not havin' any control, I guess." he lied. The truth was he'd gotten quite the scare when he'd been restrained but chose to forget about it. He shook his head and looked back to his partner. "I know I should stay in bed but...is there ANY way I could go see her? I need to see if she's ok and I gotta meet my niece." A warm smile flowed over his features just thinking of that little girl he'd get to hold, teach, and love.

Rude: "Not right now there isn't. You've only been here ten minutes Reno." Rude sat on the side of the bed, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "You can call her if you'd like, but until you stop bleeding Red, you're staying here."

Reno: "Please?" Reno blinked and frowned. "She doesn't even know yet..." he said quietly, referring to the attack and his injuries. He didn't want to worry Cessnei but would wheel himself across the hospital if that's what he had to do to see his new family.

Rude: "Love, yer in ShinRa's med bay and she's in the Midgar hospital in Sector 8. You are not leaving this bed until I damn well say you can. But you can call yer sister." Rude took out his phone and handed it to Reno.

Reno: Reno slapped the device away, making hit the wall. Fortunately, ShinRa made everything they created as strong as possible. "I need to see her. A phone call won't do anything." Using his quick abilities the redhead slipped past his love, grabbed his crutch, and began running, not caring if he had to travel the world to get there. He needed his family. Reno had always felt Rude was his family...his only family but right now his sister may need him and he couldn't let her down...not again.

Rude: Rude sighed and simply let him go. The man had nothing on but the bandages on his leg, he'd stop eventually. He was also trailing machines behind him. Rude just rolled his eyes and slowly followed him out after actually buttoning up his slacks.

Reno: Reno ripped the IV from his arm and all the others but while he tried to do so he lost his footing and fell. 'Damn it!' This weak feeling was driving him insane! Knowing there would be no point in even trying to get up, get rid of the rest of the machines, and actually manage to get away, he simply stayed where he was on the floor. The lights had all been turned off because of the time and Reno hated it. This damned building, these damned people, and his damned fear. He felt small and alone but simply stayed there and waited for Rude to give him either a beating or a lecture. Either would make sense at this point.

Rude: Rude wandered down the hall picking up the discarded IV needles and gathering the machines together before swooping down and gathering his love to his chest. He herded everything back to the med room. He put his partner back on the bed and set everything back up himself. "Stay here a sec love, I'll be right back." He left to go get the crutch and heard a little voice that he recognized as Shelke coming from further down the hall. "I've seen London, I've seen France, I've seen Reno with no underpants." Rude facepalmed, they were never gonna hear the end of this. She already knew all of their names and could put them to faces... gah! Rude when back to the room and picked up his phone from the floor. "Has the pain killer set in yet?"  
Reno: Reno nodded. "A bit." He kept his eyes on the ceiling and blinked. He was sure he'd go crazy if he stayed here but he knew Rude was right. Rude was always right. It's just how he worked. Even so, Reno felt so chained and it was starting to hurt. "I'll stay here." he whispered, finally giving in.

Rude: Reno's caving to staying in the med bay sounded more like him giving up to Rude. "Damn it Reno, what's wrong? Why are you so afraid of doctors yet so damned oblivious to fucking evil scientists who want you for your body!? Gahh! You aggravate me." He slumped into a chair and hung his head.

Reno: Rude's outburst surprised the redhead. He looked at his partner with guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Rude. I don't know why I do what I do. I just can't control myself sometimes. I know stayin' here is exactly what I need to do but I" He stopped to take a breath. "I always got through things by takin' control. Maybe that's why I'm so scared." he explained, finally openly admitting to his fear. "I feel like if I can't take care of myself, I'll...I don't even know, yo. I just get scared when I can't fend fer myself. I'm sorry fer bein' a pain. I really don't mean to."

Rude: Rude sighed loudly, "Reno, letting the doc's do their job IS taking care of yourself. You allowing them to fix you up is taking control. Why can't you see that?" The man never looked up but he rested his head in his hands.

Reno: Reno's eyes widened. How was he ALWAYS right? Thinking about it that way made a fire begin to burn inside him. A good one. A strong one. "Yer right." It would be one of the biggest hurdles he ever had to jump but he was now determined to regain control but not in the way he first thought. Now he had to control his life by heading directly TOWARDS his fears. The Turk laughed barely loud enough to hear. "This'll be insane." he said and slowly looked to Rude with a small smile. "But ya gotta promise yer gonna stay with me through it, a'right?" Maybe putting trust in others was being stronger than he thought.

Rude: "I'll always be with you Ronan. Always." Rude finally looked up at the redhead. He smirked, "By the way, Shelke saw you in the hall... she's like 8... we're doomed."

Reno: Reno facepalmed himself and groaned. "Oh god." When the door opened the redhead tensed out of habit but took a deep breath. He didn't give the doctor his usual death glare greeting, which amazed the man. "Hey, Doc. Just checkin' in?" he asked, doing his best to keep calm and he could barely believe it was working. His nerves were still kind of everywhere but just kept repeating what Rude had told him in his head as the doctor took a look at his leg. Reno knew he wouldn't re-bandage it until tomorrow but it still freaked him out, having someone in his space when he was weak. There was a stinging feeling in his leg causing the Turk to shoot up from where he laid. The doctor covered his face, awaiting a punch or something of the sort but Reno clenched his fists and forced himself back down. 'This is control! Yer in control here!' he told himself over and over until he felt the bandage gently cover his wound again. It was already over? As the doctor turned to leave after writing down some notes Reno did something he NEVER imagined he would. "Thanks, Doc."

Doctor: The doctor froze for a few seconds before nodding to the two Turks, "Of course Turk Reno."

Rude: Rude gaped at the scene, was that really all Reno had needed? To realize that he was in fact in control even though he felt weak? Rude wanted to punch himself in the face for not figuring that out sooner. Coulda saved a lot of bruised doctors and nurses that way.

Reno: Reno couldn't hold back a laugh a Rude's dropped jaw. "It'll be a bit harder tomorrow but I think I'm off to a decent start." Even HE couldn't believe he'd gotten though it that 'easily'. Well, what he considered easily. Most people probably wouldn't have nearly knocked out the doc but it was definitely an improvement. He couldn't even imagine what Rude was thinking. "Not sure what'll happen tomorrow but I promise I'll try keep it together." This was something that was always important to Reno. He never wanted to look bad in his love's eyes and now had the confidence to try a little harder.

Rude: A beautific smile graced Rude's face and rose from his chair and walked over to Reno, leaning down and kissing his lips. "I love you Reno, I'm proud of you. All the time."

Reno: Reno winked at his partner. "Ya promise?" he asked, though it was mostly a joke. The redhead took on a slightly more serious air. "But I really don't know how I'll handle it tomorrow. "What should I do to keep my mind off of it? I just need something to focus on once I relax." he explained.

Rude: "Hmmm, I don't know, something that makes you happy? Focus on getting through it so you can see Cess." Rude suggested and he leaned down to kiss him again, he really couldn't get enough of this man.

Reno: 'Cessnei. I hope yer ok.' he thought to himself. Reno flinched when his phone went off. Reaching to the bedside table, he snatched it up and answered. "Reno here." He remained silent for a while but paled when he got news he never wanted. The device slipped from his hand. Cessnei had a few complications but should be fine. He'd been told the baby was smaller than expected and was under their watch. Not knowing much about this, Reno really had no clue if it was ok or really bad. Babies pulled through things like this, didn't they? Some were born a bit small, right? The Turk felt his heart speeding up. "T-The baby's a bit small and they had to take it from Cess. They say the complication weren't very serious but...what about my niece?" he asked, looking to Rude hoping he had an answer.

Rude: Rude had startled when Reno's phone went off as well, he frowned in thought at what Reno told him. "Premature huh? Or maybe just small, she was full term after all. Honestly everything should be fine, she's a Turk and a SOLDIER General's kid, I'm sure both Cess and the baby will be fine. Genesis will blow shit up if they aren't. We'll see about going to see them tomorrow okay?"

Reno: Reno nodded. He had to stay here if he was going to be able to heal enough to see her soon. This didn't help his uneasiness but he's try to use it as something to strive for. The nervous Turk bit his lip and leaned against his partner for a little comfort. "So everything should be ok then?" he asked with cautiously hopeful eyes. "I think Cessnei will be fine cause the doc said it was only a few complications and she's stable now but a baby's so small. She must be lonely." he said, thinking about his newest family member. Was she scared without her mother? Was she cold? Did she need someone? So many questions ran through his head. He had to worry about those things as a kid and didn't want his niece to feel any of it. Not scared, not lonely, not cold, not hungry, or anything else he'd been.

Rude: "I'm sure she's fine Reno, they'll take good care of her. She won't be thrown out into the street." He brushed red bangs back from a worried brow and held the body close. "We'll get through it all Red, we're Turks after all." Rude kissed the top of his head.

Reno: "I know that but I can't help it. Just imagine bein' that small an' not knowin' where ya are or what's goin' on." The small Turk yawned and snuggled into Rude's chest, biting his knuckle as he continued thinking of his sister and niece. He paused and looked up at his love. "Do ya think...ya could play with my hair or somethin' till I fall asleep?" he asked as his face flushed.

Rude: Rude grinned down at him before laying out beside him on the bed, one hand went up to tangle and sift through Reno's hair while the other wrapped around his waist. "Anything love."

Reno: Reno tried to get as comfortable as he could, trying to ignore the needles and tubes attached to him. He felt a little helpless with the news about Cessnei and the baby and the needles made him uncomfortable both physically and in that same 'chained' way. It was a little depressing for him but he chose to try and not make a big fuss over it. He closed his eyes and focused on Rude's gentle touch. A small sniffle found its way out of Reno's lips but he wasn't as upset as he thought he'd be. Just fed up.

Rude: "Shhh, it'll all be alright soon. Though once you're better and you've seen Cess and the baby you'll need to report to Tseng about what happened. Less of course you already typed up your report earlier today. You know, in your time between "sessions" with Rufus." Rude chuckled lightly and began rubbing circles on Reno's arm with the hand across his waist.

Reno: Reno looked up at his partner with a confused expression. "Sessions'?" he asked as he adjusted his position, trying to get comfortable. "I hate these things." he said bluntly. His eyes were misting but he felt weak as it was and didn't need to seem any more pathetic. At least that's how he saw it. He knew Rude would just tell him it was fine or that crying was okay but Reno chose to ignore it. If tears fell then whatever but he was too sick of this stress. It had been going on for too long and crying about it wouldn't change the fact that he couldn't leave the hospital, check on his family, or turn back time and decline that damned mission.

Rude: Rude smiled, "Yes 'sessions'. You went to talk to him earlier, then I had to save him from you, then we got him off after work. Those 'sessions'." He was hoping to take Reno's mind off of wear he was, but didn't really know how to accomplish that feat.

Reno: "Oh. Yeah I guess I will have a lot of paper work when I get outta here huh?" he asked quietly. Reno shook his head and frowned. "For fuck's sake! Sorry, yo. I'm gettin' all emo over nothin'. I think I'm just past my limit with this stuff. I just want it to all be over so I can see them and start my missions again! I hate bein' held back from things like this." he explained and nuzzled under Rude's chin. "It's hard." The small Turk blinked a few times, feeling the morphine drip kick in at its scheduled time. He continued to blink and shake his head, almost seeming as though he was high. In a way, he was but he was sure it was fine. Things got a bit funny and it became very difficult to focus or keep his eyes open. "Think the drugs'er s...startin' to kick...in" he said with his words even more slurred than usual. Reno chuckled a bit. "Wow tha's weird."

Rude: "Yeah, it's hard alright." Rude murmured before Reno started slurring his words, "What's weird?" He looked down at the man with a questioning look.

Reno: Reno giggled foolishly at Rude's little innuendo. "The pain meds'er fuckin' my head up." he said and continued snickering as the drugs took effect. "Erythin's like...fuzzed." His sentences were becoming more and more like drivel than actual words. "Ya look'inda funny n' stuff." A small giggle fit began to take over the Turk.

Rude: "I always look funny. Now get some sleep my love." Rude kissed his brow and settled in to try to sleep himself.

Reno: Reno laid his head on the pillow but soon cracked up started giggling again. "Feel'so weeeeird. Hehe." The redhead furrowed his brows and pouted. He began touching the needles and wires but fortunately his accuracy was now very off and all he managed to do was poke at them. The redhead groan in annoyance.

Rude: "Do I need to get you a straitjacket Reno? Cause I will. Stop moving, stop thinking, stop talking, and go. to. sleep." Rude's voice was weary, the man was tired and just wanted to sleep!

Reno: "Hm?" Reno was still a bit out of it. He blinked until he could see Rude a bit better. "M'sorry, yo. I really drain yer energy, huh? Don't mean to be a pain. Makes me feel like shit when I actually bug ya." The redhead wasn't thinking and because of the drug's effect he felt speaking his mind was far easier. "Keep thinkin' yer gonna leave cause'a my temper'r somethin'. I don't want ya to go though." He wasn't exactly making sense and his topics were random but maybe that's what happened when you get strong pain killers. "Yer not gonna leave me, right? Like ever? I didn' even get ya'ring fer the weddin' yet." He and Rude hadn't spoken about the wedding or proposal or anything since it had happened but that didn't mean Reno didn't think about it. "What kinda ring ya want? Gold? Naw...Silver's yer thing. I'll get ya a silver one." he said as he zoned out into his own little world, trying to come up with ideas.

Rude: Rude smiled at him, "Love you don't bother me at all. So no worries there, I'm never leaving, you're stuck with me." He grinned as Reno went off on tangents and began mumbling about wedding ideas. He smirked tired of letting a tired man ramble and leaned over him cover his mouth with his own. He kissed Reno into silence and then kept kissing him simply because he wanted to.

Reno: It took Reno a moment to even realize he'd been kissed. "Mm?" came his very muffled response. It was delayed but he eventually returned the gesture.

Rude: "Mine." Rude rumbled against his lips before kissing the man some more, as his slacks constricted around him he realized that this was probably a bad idea. So the Turk desisted and flopped back down next to Reno, "Would it help if I sang to you?"

Reno: Reno stayed silent until he was able to focus again. "Hm? Sing? What song?" he asked groggily and snuggled close to the other Turk.

Rude: Rude shook his head, "Anything I know?" He suggested weakly. He began to hum hoping it would finally lull his partner to sleep.

Reno: Reno listened and began humming along with his love while his eye lids got heavier and heavier. His head began to bob when his slumber was near but he tried his best to hold it up, wanting to listen to Rude's voice a little longer.

Rude: Rude hummed an old song, finally stopping only because he sang himself to sleep.


	18. Chapter 24

Reno: Reno opened his eyes and yawned. He squinted when the morning light came through the window and into his eyes. "Rude?" The redhead turned to see his partner happily snoring away. Reno chose not to wake him so he could get the rest he needed and deserved for putting up with him.

Rude: Rude slowly woke to the sounds of doctors and nurses talking in hushed voices, suddenly he was instantly alert. "Reno?" There was a slight fear in his voice before he registered that there was still a body lying next to his and it was warm and breathing. He finally opened his eyes to make sure it was actually Reno who was next to him.

Reno: Reno jumped and stared at the spooked man. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked, reaching over to stroke his lover's cheek. "Ya have a nightmare?" It always concerned Reno when Rude was scared. It just seemed wrong. Rude was like the perfect example of strength in the smaller Turk's eyes. Seeing him afraid was like snow falling in summer.

Rude: "I." Rude paused to get himself together, "I woke to the docs talkin'... thought something might have happened to you. No nightmare... just a waking one I guess." He smiled over at Reno and rose a hand to capture the one stroking his face to pull it to his mouth. He kissed Reno's palm before leaning forward and kissing his nose.

Reno: "I'm fine." he responded in a hushed tone. "They haven't touched me...yet." Reno's gaze fell, remembering they'd have to clean and redress his wound. he shook his head, ridding his mind of those worries and smiled at the other Turk. "Ya shouldn't worry so much, yo."

Rude: Rude smiled softly, "I love you, I'll always worry."

Reno: Reno laughed. "Guess that makes sense." His smile faded when the same doctor walked into the room with his clip board and some other items. Reno's eyes widened when he noticed a specific little bottle. The bastard had iodine. No way! That shit hurt on paper cuts for Gaia's sake! He was NOT putting any on his leg! 'Okay get a grip.' he thought. "Hey doc. B-Busy day?" he asked, never taking his eyes off that bottle.

Doctor: The doctor looked up from his clip board and over at the two Turks on the bed, "No more than usual I guess." He saw Reno's gaze on the bottle of iodine and sighed, "Would you prefer if I went and grabbed a bottle of whiskey to use on your leg?"

Reno: Reno gave the doctor a distasteful look. "Don't mock me. Just get it over with." he demanded, wanting it to be over and done with so he could forget it.

Doctor: The doctor nodded and set to work quickly removing the old bandage and assessing the damage. Then he got out new wrappings and pour the iodine over the wound, cleaning it up carefully before wrapping it gently and quickly. "Would you like another dose of painkiller?"

Reno: Reno's face said it all. His eyes were wide and fixated on nothing, his brows were furrowed, and his cheeks were puffed up from holding back what would have been an extremely long array of curse words.

Rude: Rude nodded his head at the doctor and he went ahead and put a large dose of a fast acting pain killer in the IV drip. "The wound is healing well, as long as you don't bump it into anything it should fully heal in the next week. Sorry it won't heal faster... well I guess you could probably get a SOLDIER to cast Cure on it and it would heal much faster." On that note the doctor left the room.

Reno: Reno's face was a one of shock. SOLDIER...Cure. "ARE YA FUCKIN' KIDDING ME?!" he hollered, finally letting out his long withheld voice. "Genesis! Call Genesis! The guy knocked my sister up so he can at least help me heal!" Reno had no reason to truly be mad at anyone and was only yelling and swearing from both frustration and pain. He could be a bit like a volcano. He'd stay quiet if he had to but the second he couldn't take any more pressure, he'd blow up and kill many. He knew he'd calm down eventually.

Rude: Rude laughed so hard he fell off of the bed. "Did... di...*snicker* did you seriously just yell out for all and sundry to hear. *chuckle* That..." His laughter got the better of him for a moment. "That Gensis knocked up your sister? One most people don't know you have one, and two, I'm quite sure that neither party wants that known so openly." Rude sat up on the floor next to the bed and looked up at Reno with a bemused expression.

Reno: Reno looked to his partner and was going to continue his rant but found a warm smile cross his face. This was it! Genesis would help him, he and Rude would go see Cessnei and the baby, and at last, Reno would be himself again. A proud ShinRa Turk. He wasn't sure where the spark came from but everything seemed lighter all of a sudden. "Hey, love?" he asked quietly. "Think ya could wheel me to the cafeteria so we can grab a bite to eat?" Today would be different. "Plus, we gotta call Rufus to see if Genesis can be sent over to help." Today would be enjoyed even if the surroundings frightened him.

Rude: "Sure thing love, but I suggest we get dressed first." The clothes he'd dropped into a chair after he'd first placed Reno on the bed we picked up, Rude put on his socks before realizing something and going over to close the door. This time Reno had a room all to himself, a smart move on the medical staff's part. He took his slacks off and found his boxers, putting them on and then everything else.

Reno: Reno tilted his head, unsure as to what his partner was up to. "Everything ok, babe?" When Rude took his pants off the redhead inwardly smirked but chose to play a little game. He let his ears and tail slip out and continued his little oblivious act and kept a coy expression.

Rude: "Everything's fine, just getting into more than just my slacks. And," He turned around to face Reno, "I'm not gonna let you leave the room naked again." He saw the ears and nearly melted, the expression on Reno's face not helping in the slightest.

Reno: Reno couldn't keep the act up and cracked up laughing when Rude's brain seemed to turn to mush. "Wow. Yer a real sucker for a 'cute' act, huh?" he asked with a bright smile and a flick of his red, fluffy tail. "Yer pretty damn adorable when yer like that, ya know?"

Rude: Rude groaned wiped a hand down his face, "Yer gonna be the death of me Ronan Sinclaire." He walked over and kissed his death-just-waiting-to-happen. "Now, let's get you in cloths so we can find us a SOLDIER."

Reno: Reno's smile brightened further, feeling his love's kiss. "Kay." he whispered and closed his eyes, going into a slight daydream. It was probably a mix of the affection and the pain meds but it was still amazing. His shoulders slumped and he took deep breaths, almost humming.

Rude: "Mmm, you dork. Come on kitty-kitty, let's get you dressed." He held out Reno's button down shirt for him to slip his arms through.

Reno: "I'm missin' a leg, yo. Not my spine." The Turk slipped the shirt on and partially buttoned it up, leaving the usual amount of his chest showing, and didn't even bother fixing it up when he accidentally mismatched the buttons. He was too excited to get out of this room! Reno reached to Rude, gesturing for him to hand him his pants.

Rude: The tall man grinned and handed the needed garments over, "Yeah, yeah." He liked coddling Reno, even if the man hated it.

Reno: Reno looked a bit foolish trying to get his pants on, in a bed, with one leg, but he always hated asking for help if he didn't absolutely need it. He frowned when he couldn't get them higher than his thighs. "Damn it..." he mumbled and struggled with the annoying fabric. "I swear I'd have rage quit on clothing by now if I wouldn't be arrested for kickin' ass in my birthday suit!"

Rude: Rude laughed and assisted his partner, "Asking for help once in a while won't kill you." He said lowly, nibbling on the man's ear.

Reno: Reno sighed in defeat. "Guess not. Anyway, we gotta get the doc to get these damn things off me." he said, referring to the many wires and such. "I know I'll need the IV so don't bitch, I ain't gonna complain 'bout that as long as he says I'm good to just go eat with ya.

Rude: Rude smiled and went looking for the doctor. He returned shortly with the man, who approved of them going out to eat. He unhooked Reno from everything but the IV carefully, then went to get a moving stand and set the IV bag on it so that it would move with them. A nurse brought in a wheelchair and quietly left the room. "You ready for this Red? Think you can stay in the seat 'stead a takin' off on a crutch?" Rude eyed him carefully before slipping his shades on his face.

Reno: Reno pouted at the man but figured he had the right to say that after his little 'free run' the night before. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure." The injured Turk turned on the bed, got off, and made his way to the wheelchair, holding his hand up to a nurse, letting her know he'd do it himself. Reno knew it too longer and wasn't necessary. At least not to them. However, doing things on his own was very important to him. Once he was close enough, he dropped his crutch and hopped to his seat, leaning back with a sigh. "Thanks anyway." he said, winking at the nurse who'd offered him help.

Rude: Rude nodded to the nurse as well, not noticing the disapproving frown on his face. He hooked the IV stand to the chair and began rolling his charge to the mess hall.

Reno: "So what're ya gonna get?" Reno asked as he was rolled through the building and into the cafeteria. The room smelled of sweet, hot breads, coffee, and soups. It was extremely welcomed by the Turk, as he never could stand hospital food.

Rude: "Hmmm, that's a good question. However I do smell tomato soup and French bread." The man's stomach rumbled letting him know that he hadn't eaten since breakfast two days before. Though he wasn't about to let Reno know that, the man would kill him.

Reno: When Rude's stomach growled, Reno put his good leg out to halt the wheelchair. He slowly turned to his partner with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds good but when's the last time ya ate, and don't bother lyin' cause ya know I'll pay good money yo have yer gut checked if ya do." he said, his eyes testing the other's.

Rude: Rude sighed, "The morning you got bombed. So I'd really like to eat now, please pick up your foot."

Reno: Reno frowned. Normally he'd go off on the other Turk for not taking care of himself but he'd promised the man he'd try to control himself and stay in the chair. Looking out for each other was something that came naturally to them since they used to take care of one another when on the streets. It bothered Reno if Rude didn't eat. Crossing his arm, he chose to leave a lecture for after. "Dumbass." Reno decided not to argue. At least not now. "Let's get some food into ya." Raising his foot, he allowed Rude to continue forward.

Rude: Rude continued forward and wandered into line, "What do you want love?"

Reno: 'Everything' he thought to himself. He was really hungry and almost drooled at the sight of pancakes, eggs, and even pizza! Yup. This was heaven. "I'll have whatever yer havin'. I can't even choose." Reno licked his lips as he saw people filling their plates.

Rude: "Alright then," Rude dished them both up a bowl of tomato soup and grabbed a few slices of French bread each, then he grabbed a slice of pizza for Reno and a slice of ham for himself. He grabbed each of them a brownie and headed for the drinks, if they were still hungry after this he'd get them more. "What you want to drink Red?" Rude got himself a large glass of cold chocolate milk.

Reno: "The biggest damn mug of coffee they offer." He slumped back in his seat and looked at the bald man with a smile. He was doing it again. No matter how much Reno tried to push away any kind of coddling when he was sad or couldn't do things himself, Rude managed to care for him. Looking at the huge amount of food, he chuckled to himself, thinking of how that would have been a jackpot when they were younger. Now it was what they got whenever the hell they pleased. "Thanks, Diego." It wasn't often he used Rude's real name but he wanted his love to know how grateful he was.

Rude: "No problem Red." He smiled at his lover and proceeded to get him the biggest mug of coffee he could find.

Reno: Reno turned his head when he heard a cry. He was greeted with the sight of a mother cradling her obviously very new baby in her arms. She was a patient as well. Reno was guessing she'd come to eat and be out of her room just as he had. Seeing the baby wrapped tightly in a blanket and in its mother's arms made Reno's heart melt. 'I wonder how their doing.' he thought as Cessnei and his niece came into his head.

Rude: Rude looked down at his partner and saw his wistful look. He bumped him in the shoulder with his hip, "Hey now, we'll find Gen or more likely Angeal or Seph and you'll be able to go see them real soon." The tall Turk figured that Genesis was probably with Cessnei and his new daughter after all.

Reno: Reno nodded. "Right." he whispered, wondering if Cessnei needed his in any way. Even if she didn't, he wanted to be there. He knew he'd be out soon enough but it was so hard being away from his family at a time like this. His thoughts drifted back to the day he wished he could demolish from his memories and he felt that lump in his throat but remembered he was in public, in his Turk uniform, and in no position to shed tears. Cessnei was strong. She would be fine. Reno tried to tell himself but seeing that woman with her baby and how helpless it was in one of the safest places tugged at his heart. The redhead's instincts were screaming for him to make a break for it so he could just hold his family but held himself in his seat. He shook his head and began slurping away at his soup, taking huge bites of the French bread, and chugging his coffee, trying to push his worries away for now.

Rude: "Don't eat so fast that you choke." Rude warned as he rolled them to a table and sat down across from him. Dipping his bread in the soup he began eating as well. He was a bit worried about the manic light in Reno's eyes, but hoped he'd attempt to stay seated and just have a nice meal with him.

Reno: "Sorry. I'm just..." Reno shook his head and began eating at a normal pace. He'd take a few bites but continue to look at the baby. He picked at the toppings on his pizza, eating a pepperoni or two but was mostly just dazed. The redhead set his mug of coffee now and looked to Rude. "Sorry, yo. I know I'm not actin' like myself. I feel ok and I'm really excited for the news about the replacement but it's still kinda tough." he explained, running his fingers through his long, red mane to calm himself. Reno figured it was alright to keep his hair down here because he didn't have to worry about fighting and having the fiery locks get in his face. "It's hard to stay still with so much goin' on, ya know what I mean?"

Rude: "I don't see all that much going on honestly." Rude took a swallow of his chocolate milk, "Cessnei had a little girl. You decided to blow yer leg off. You've fucked me into a damn stupor over you. Hojo's finally dead so everyone can breathe easy now. But that's all past. Right now all there is, is eating and you getting better. Going to go see Cessnei later." He shrugged his huge soldiers.

Reno: Reno smiled meekly. "Guess yer right. But hey, I didn't DECIDE to blow my leg off. That reminds me, we still gotta find who staged that set up." Reno had a tendency to over think things when he had too much time to think. If he was occupied you couldn't get him to think at all. He took a few bites of his food and finished off his coffee. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on in the table and continued to daze in and out. He looked up when he noticed the new mother groan and slump into her chair, obviously in pain. The Turk wheeled himself over and set a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are ya ok?" he asked. The woman looked up as sweat dripped from her brow but she smiled and nodded.

Lady: "Yes. Thank you. The doctors say it'll be a few days until the pain fully goes away but it's no big deal." The woman's smile made Reno do the same. He noticed a disturbed look on the woman's face and she held her baby close, almost trying to hide it. "Y-You're a Turk, aren't you?"

Reno: Normally Reno wouldn't give two fucks about being hated but that kinda hurt. The redhead simply accepted the hatred and nodded only to receive a slap that echoed through the room. His guess was the mother had been affected by one of ShinRa's Turks at some point and didn't quite enjoy their company but that was expected.

Rude: "Red?" Where's he going now? Rude watched as he rolled over to the woman and her baby. The interaction REALLY T'd him off! How dare someone be so callus!? Luckily for the woman Gun got there before he did.

Gwendolyn: "Marianne, that wasn't necessary. Clark!" The Turks voice echoed through the cafeteria and a man turned to face her from a group of rowdy 3rd Class SOLDIERs. "Come help your wife. She's in obvious pain."

Rude: While Gwendolyn had be talking Rude had gone over and wheeled Reno back to their table, "You alright?"

Reno: Reno held his throbbing cheek but nodded. "Yeah." His face wasn't that sore but the woman's actions had actually managed to get to him. He'd had many people react horribly to knowing he was a Turk but that one really hit his heart more than anything. The redhead chuckled, trying to forget it, knowing he should have expected no less, regardless of how good his intentions were. People would never see him or any other Turk as kind human beings. Many saw them as robots so he understood. He smiled at his partner so he wouldn't worry. "I'm fine, yo. Should have known better I guess. Just reacted."

Rude: Rude paused, simply staring at his partner with a curious look on his face. "Reno?" He asked before he thought better of it. But then he decided he might as well ask anyway, even though he honestly figured the answer would be no. "Do you want your own kids some day? Or is this all coming from the whole 'family' thing hitting you all at once?"

Reno: Reno's gaze flew to his partner's, wondering where the hell that came from. "What?!" The Turk shook his head, remembering where they were. "Uh, don't ya think that's something ya should ask me in private, yo?" Did he want kids?! What kind of question was that?! It was crazy! Wasn't it? Reno facepalmed himself. "Oh boy. Let's just finish eating and talk about that later, a'right?"

Rude: Rude chuckled quietly at Reno's reaction, but at least he'd snapped him out of his depressed stupor for a bit. "Sure thing Red." He finished his food, going back and grabbing a bowl of butterscotch pudding and eating that as well before he was ready to go.

Reno: Reno was scratching his head, thinking about Rude's question, but why? He didn't need any kids. He didn't even like them much. Plus, they were Turks! How messed up would a kid get with assassins as parents? He fell so deep into thought he didn't even notice when he was rolled back to his room.


	19. Chapter 25

Rude: Rude wheeled his partner back to his room, snagging Angeal on the way there. "Hey you know if Hotsauce is here?"

Angeal: Angeal shook his head, "Nope he's with Cessnei and baby Elsa at the hospital. Why?"

Rude: Rude nodded, "Yeah, I figured he'd be there. Would you mind casting Cure on Ketchup's leg? He's been so damn antsy and none of the docs ever know what to do with him. Plus he'd really like to go and see those two himself."

Angeal: "Sure. I know Cessnei really wants to see him as well." Angeal nodded and entered the room behind them.

Reno: "Elsa?" Reno smiled. "I like it." When the Turk snapped out of his daze he jumped out of the wheelchair and clung to Angeal's shirt. "Wait, wait! Is she ok!? What did the doc's say about her condition?! Talk to me ya stuffed ape! Is my family ok?!" Reno was entering his hysterical zone again at the mention of the baby. Unfortunately for him, having one leg didn't usually help balance. Reno soon tumbled to the floor, taking Angeal with him.

Angeal: Angeal fell with the overly excited Reno simply because the attack was rather unexpected. "I see what you mean Rude." Angeal stood up bringing the smaller Turk with him, he shook his head at the man and laid him on the bed. "Stay here and stay still." He gave them redhead his look usually reserved for Zack as he pushed him down onto the mattress. He took out his phone and began texting said Puppy to bring him a fully mastered Cure materia while he answered Reno's questions. "Both Cessnei and Elsa are fine. There was a slight complication that simply made it so that Cessnei can't breastfeed, so they had to take the baby and find the correct formula for her. That was all. Cess just doesn't seem to have any milk. She was pretty bummed but "they'll live". Her words."

Reno: Reno made a slightly disturbed face but shook his head when he saw Angeal's expression. "Hey! I ain't some cadet o' yers or somethin' so quit givin' me the 'so disappointed' look!" The wound up Turk crossed his arms and pouted. His expression softened when he stopped to think. Cessnei and Elsa were fine and his leg was going to be healed in no time. The doctors would be able to fit him for his replacement and he could go see his family. Now wasn't the time to be greedy. "Well I'm glad to hear they'll be ok. Why was Elsa so small though?" he asked with a tone of concern.

Angeal: Angeal chuckled, "Apparently it runs in Gen's family. He was rather small as well." Just then Zack bounded into the room, "Thank you Zack."

Zack: "Sure thing 'Geal! Wow, you really got fucked up huh Reno?" The question was asked with such enthusiasm that Angeal and Rude both facepalmed. Luckily for the puppy the chocobo came along and hauled him away.

Angeal: Angeal shook himself and held the Cure up, "Well let's see this mess eh?" He removed the wrappings from Reno's leg to assess the damage. Once he determined how bad it was he cast Cure 3 and watched as Reno knit himself back together. Not just his leg but all of the damage dealt over the last couple of days. Everything physical anyway.

Reno: Zack was lucky Cloud pulled him away when he did. "Stupid, little, cock suckin'..." Reno's words turned to mumbles, then to silence as he saw his body slowly pulling itself back together. The redhead simply stared in awe. He couldn't speak, look away or even blink as fresh, healthy skin covered his wound. He never could get used to how amazing the ShinRa science department got.

Angeal: "There you are." Angeal smiled at Reno and nodded to Rude on his way out, he had work to do after all.

Rude: "Thank's 'Geal." Rude watched him leave and motioned to the doctor to come and look at Reno.

Doctor: Heeding the call the doctor came in and looked the one-legged Turk over. "Well, just let me get measurements for your new leg and you can leave here. It'll be up to the science department on how fast you get the leg though." He left and came back, marked down the measurements on a sheet of paper and then left the room again, signing Reno out of the med bay while he was at it.

Reno: Reno's eyes were wide as could be. "I...I can go?" he whispered before jumping from the bed, for what he prayed would be the last time and clung to Rude with a huge grin. "I can really FINALLY leave?!" Over! It was finally over and done with! He could see Cessnei and Elsa, he wouldn't have to stay in that god damned bed, and he could finally rest with no wires or needles attached to him. He couldn't believe the difference. His leg felt as though it was always like that. Like it wasn't even an injury. "It isn't hurting at all,yo!" Reno grabbed the wires but remembered how painful it was the last time he wrenched them out and decided against it. Grinning sheepishly, he looked up at Rude. "Uh, heh. Think we could get a nurse to come get these things out so we can go see the kid now?"

Rude: Rude smiled down at him and kissed his cheek, "Just sit down on the bed." He walked to the door and called in a nurse.

Nurse: Having seen the release form for the Turk she hurriedly unhooked everything from him. "Try not to come back too soon okay Reno?"

Reno: Reno chuckled. "I won't, trust me. It'll be a cold day in hell before I willingly come back into a hospital fer myself." The Turk grabbed his crutch and stood. He gave the nurse a kiss on the cheek for putting up with his actions, knowing he must have caused her trouble a care taker didn't deserve. He knew they saw and treated all the things he and Rude saw in battle and it must have been almost hurtful to have a patient throw all that hard work right back in her face.  
Nurse: The woman giggled, "You just be sure to keep to that." She left the room to tend to other patients after nodding to Rude.

Rude: Rude smiled, "I'll try to look out for you better." He joked to his partner. "Let's get to the hospital yeah?"

Reno: Reno tilted his head at Rude's tone of voice. Normally the bald Turk didn't joke about stuff like that. "Hey Rude?" Reno wobbled his way over to his partner and looked passed his shades and into his eyes, making sure the man wasn't lying to him. "Are ya blamin' yerself fer what happened?"

Rude: The big Turk sighed, "A little, but I was joking because I didn't want you to think that I don't believe you can take care of yourself."

Reno: Reno held onto Rude's suit to keep himself steady and smiled. He was happy his partner didn't want to belittle him or make him feel weak even though he blamed himself. "Hey, it was my mission and there was no way ya coulda known or done anythin' to stop it."

Rude: "I know, I just wish you weren't hurt." He bent down and kissed the man hanging onto him, "I love you."

Reno: Reno returned the kiss and wrapped an arm around Rude's neck, needing the other to hold the crutch. "Not much we can do now, babe. But I'm not sore anymore. A few bruises will heal in no time. My leg was the problem but it's totally fine." he said and kissed his partner's jaw.

Rude: Rude smiled, "Yeah, you still wanna go see Cessnei? Or do you wanna hit up the science department frist?"

Reno: As much as Reno wanted to see Cessnei, he didn't want her to worry about him more by seeing him hobbling around like this. After letting out a sigh he responded. "I don't wanna freak her out so let's save her for last."

Rude: Rude nodded in understanding, "So to the wacky labs it is." He looked down at the redhead with an evil winkle in his eyes, "Would you like to hobble along with the crutch, use a wheelchair or have me carry you?"

Reno: "Well, I gotta keep the crutch with me." Reno wanted to be carried but there were two problems. 1) He couldn't keep his crutch with him and 2) It would be a /little/ embarrassing. "Um, maybe I should just walk." Reno usually didn't care but there were times when he felt a bit silly.

Rude: "Alright. But you /sure/ you don't want a piggyback ride? You could hold onto the crutch that way..." Rude just wanted to be helpful, though he knew that it wouldn't be lack of energy that would have Reno throwing the contraption across the room.

Reno: Smiling to himself, the small Turk finally gave in and nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that. Gotta say I missed those." he said with a chuckled. Reno always loved getting piggyback rides from Rude as childish as it seemed to some.

Rude: Rude grinned and lifted his partner around to his back and waited while he wrapped one leg around his waist and settled the crutch across his chest as a way to hold on. Rude reached a hand behind him to help secure the Turk in his position and then walked out of the room.

Reno: Reno wiggled around at first, feeling like he might fall, still not used to being so off balance but relaxed when he felt Rude's hand secure him. The redhead couldn't stop himself from snuggling into his partner's muscular neck. He sighed contently. "Thanks, yo."

Rude: "My pleasure Love." Rude walked down the hallways and elevators until they reached the Science Department. Upon walking in the first thing out of his mouth was rather unchecked and unlike himself, "So which whoseewhat'sit do we talk to about my partner's new leg?"

Reno: Reno's cheeks puffed up as he held back a laugh. He snickered lightly into Rude's back. "Not sure ya should mock the people in charge of replacin' one o' my limbs, yo." He glanced around the room and held onto Rude a bit tighter, remembering what happened the last time he went to one of the labs without him.

Rude: Rude simply shrugged his shoulders, he didn't really care, if they fucked it up, they'd get fucked up - end of story.

Lucrecia: A soft giggle sounded to their left, "That would be me I think. I've got some design plans for it, but I had to send off for what I wanna make it out of and it hasn't arrived yet. Would you like to pick which design you prefer Reno?" Dr. Crescent's floated over to them. She didn't seem at all miffed that they'd killed her husband a day or so ago.

Reno: "Um...sure." Reno was pretty put off being close to this woman. He knew her connections and didn't like them. He'd answered he but his brain didn't seem to want to make him let go of his partner. If anything, he held him closer.

Rude: Rude nodded a smile gracing his face, "Awesome, thanks Lu." He followed after the woman as she led the way to her lab space, a much more inviting scene than Hojo's ever was. She pulled out a file and handed it to Rude with a smile and simply waited to hear the verdict. Rude opened it and slowly shuffled through the designs, letting Reno see them.

Reno: Reno jabbed one of the pages with his finger, stopping Rude from flipping past it. "That's the one!" The redhead was amazed by the work put into the piece. He began reading from over Rude's shoulder and nodded. "For sure!" The machine was a sound, strong, and a lightweight build according to the notes. It looked pretty damn good too. You could barely tell it wasn't real in the pictures of those who'd already tried the model. "So, this'll hold up even when I'm workin?" The Turk was truly awe struck by its complexity.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia smiled, "With what I plan to make it out of, even you would have to /try/ to break it. The metal for the bulk of it is made much the same way samurai sword is done. It's folded until it's nearly indestructible, but it's still light. Now the "skin" part of it is a little more complex, but" She pointed to the papers Rude still held, "If you flip to the next page I have a formula for keeping that shipshape as well, so if you ding it, you can fix it. And the formula won't have a bad reaction to that 'kittyflu' my despicable husband gave you either." She grinned impishly.

Reno: Reno blushed. How the heck did she know too? The redhead turned away and hid his face in Rude's back. Wait. 'Despicable'? She wasn't angry that he'd snapped Hojo's neck like twig and left her a widow? was she nuts?

Rude: Rude smiled at the woman, "I take it your husband's notes and projects were passed down to you?"

Lucrecia: The brunette nodded, "Yep, though I've discontinued most of them. They were simply awful. I really hadn't realized what he'd been doing to our son and the other SOLDIERs, but I'm going to monitor them for ill effects on stopping the treatment." Lucrecia frown down at the counter beside her.

Reno: Reno looked at the woman's expression and wound up mirroring it. "Um, you ok?" He knew it was stupid question as the brunette was obviously upset but the Turk couldn't think of anything else to say in such an awkward situation. Change the subject? "So, how long do these usually take to make, yo?" he asked, looking back to the files with the different fake limbs. "It looks a bit tricky."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia smiled up at the redheaded Turk, "I'm fine and not very long at all really. Once the materials come in it should take more than a day and a half."

Reno: "Whoa!" Reno knew the science department was good but that was insane. Little did he know, his excitement had caused his ears and tail to pop out. "when will the materials be here?!" His face was lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. He couldn't wait to get back to work. He couldn't wait to see Cessnei, he just couldn't wait!

Lucrecia: Lucrecia burst into a fit of giggles, "Oh, those are adorable!" She got herself under control in order to answer his question. "They should be here either later today or some time tomorrow." But seeing his excitement she realized he was much like her and couldn't just not do anything, "However, I've got one made already for each of these designs, it's how I knew I'd want different materials in order for it to hold up for a long time."

Reno: Reno covered his ears with an arm and frowned but quickly forgot about it when the woman's words registered in his head. "Could I see?!" he asked with his ears now perked. "Can't believe it! I knew it was gonna be good but this is just perfect!" The Turk went silent and shook his head when he felt an itching. He began scratching behind his ear like mad when it wouldn't go away.

Rude: Hearing and slightly seeing the activity behind his back from his partner Rude turned his head to look over at him, "You okay? If you get fleas we are /so/ bathing you in that anti-flea stuff."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia smiled and wandered off to get the prototypes she'd made already giggling at Rude's comment.

Reno: "What?! Are you nuts?!" Reno forced himself to stop scratching and waited for Lucrecia to return. He found himself itching behind that same ear a few seconds later and groaned in frustration. "Gaaah! I don't know what the fuck it is but it's drivin' me insane!" with one last scratch, a tiny insect flung out of his ear and landed on the table. Seeing the little bug made Reno's skin crawl. "E-Ear mites...?" he squeaked.

Rude: Rude frowned, "Guess we'll have to get you treated for that too, though it's beyond me how you just suddenly have them."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia came back into their portion of the room with the different legs, most of them looked pretty halfassed but that's why they were simply working models and not the finished product. The version that Reno had picked out had several models. The seemingly more recent version looked identical to the version on the paper. The woman grinned, "I really liked this one." Was her simple explanation.

Reno: Reno tilted his head and looked the limb over. It wasn't half bad. He was actually quite impressed. "that's pretty intense." That was supposed to hold him up? Even in battle? He'd have to see it to believe it but the idea was amazing. Reno froze when another of those black, little bugs crawled onto Rude's neck. 'Oh, shit' The turk refused to say anything and hoped his partner wouldn't notice. 'Please go away, please go away!' he silently begged the insect.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia nodded, "Would you like to try it out? This should last about a day, as long as you don't attempt to like, do your job or something equally 'intense'." She used his word back at him.

Rude: Rude grinned at her comment and turned to see Reno's reaction, however the look he saw aimed at his neck before the redhead registered what was going on concerned him. He'd though that it was Reno's hair that was tickling his neck! He reached up and flicked a small black bug from his neck and shook his head. He really hoped that Reno would try the leg, and even more fervently that Lucrecia had something for Mites.

Reno: Reno grinned sheepishly at his partner. "Uh, heh heh. Sorry." He looked away with his cheeks bright red but turned back to the brunette and answered. "Sure."

Rude: "S'alright love." Rude helped the smaller man down and they settled him on a stool.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia got to work hooking up the new leg and jotting down any adjustment's that might be necessary in the final version. She finished attaching the sensory/movement capabilities and stepped back. "How's it work?" Her eyes glowed with as much excitement over the project that Reno's had a few moments before.

Reno: Reno bit his lip and held his breath. 'Please let this work.' His eyes widened when the machine lifted the way his old leg would have. It was a bit tricky and would take some getting used to but it worked! The redhead placed his hand on the table for balance and slowly raised himself off the stool until he was actually standing. He began taking small, modest steps but it didn't matter, they were still steps he wasn't able to take before. "Holy shit." A smiled spread across the Turk's face as he continued testing the limb. "I can walk!" It seemed like such a simple thing but it was something he realized he'd taken for granted.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia clapped her hands in glee, "I'm so glad it works well!"

Rude: Rude gained a huge doofy grin as he watched his partner test the prototype. "Great, now he's walkin' and talkin' again." He mockingly shook his head with a frown that he had to fight to keep in place.

Reno: "Damn right, I am! I'm back bitch!" he cheered and pumped his fist in the air. He looked back to Rude with a big grin then to Lucrecia. "I can't thank ya enough. It's been hell since the bombin'. Yo, Rude. Let's go celebrate'r somethin'!" The redhead was getting a bit ahead of himself.

Rude: "Hold on now, just slow down turbo!" Rude put up cautioning hands, "You have a Mite problem we have to take care of before we do /anything/ else. Certainly don't want those around a baby."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia just beamed, "You're very welcome. Mmmm, Mites you say?" She wander over to a counter across the room and came back with a red-glass bottle with a stoppered top. "Take this, just put a dab on your finger and run it over your ears, those pesky bugs will be gone and hopefully never come back. I've been working on this for DN, and it's worked so far."

Reno: Reno pouted when Rude made him stop but he understood. He cautiously sniffed the little bottle and sneezed. He /really/ didn't like it. "Damn! No wonder cats hate that stuff! Any other way to get rid of'em?" he asked, not wanting the liquid anywhere near him.

Rude: "Not on hand." Rude took the bottle, dabbed some on his fingers and stroked them lovingly along Reno's cat ears. Once he was done he went and washed his hands.

Reno: Reno cringed when Rude put it on him but calmed a bit when he rubbed his ears. "Bleh!" The scent was very strong for him and he finally understood why cats went running around trying to rub their ears on /everything/ now. It was torture. Such a potent smell so close to his face was putting him off to say the least.

Rude: Looking at his partner's scrunched up face reminded Rude of something and turning to Lucrecia he asked, "Do you have any of that smell stuff? That perfume that Professor Valentine invented to eliminate strong odors?"

Lucrecia: The woman's eyes widened for a moment before they squinted in thought, she moved back across the room to a glass cupboard. She ruffled around in it, moving bottles aside until she found what she was looking for. Moving back over to Rude she held it out, "This?"

Rude: He took the small vile and grinned, "Yep, that's the stuff!" He put a dab of it on his finger and rubbed it against his thumb before lightly pinching Reno's nose. He released the facial feature and stepped back, "How's that?"

Reno: Reno shook his head and sneezed when Rude let go of his nose. The redhead took a few sniffs but was pleasantly surprised when he noticed the scent was far less potent. "Yeah." he responded and wiggled his nose. It was all a bit strange a slightly embarrassing but if it worked, it worked. "So, I shouldn't need that stuff again, right? Will the mites just leave on their own now?" he asked while he gently rubbed his ear. It wasn't itchy, just sticky. Cats never got a break, did they?

Lucrecia: "Yes, they should leave on their own. And it should be the only time you'll need it. Dark Nation hasn't needed it in the several years since I made it." Professor Crescent nodded empirically. "You'll wanna wash your hands if you mess with your ears, that stuff could make you sick. And once the Mites are all gone you'll need to wash your ears as well."

Reno: Reno nodded but continued rubbing them. He heard her but the words seemed to slip right through his head. It was hard to focus but he tried. "Anything else? Ahh." The turk wobbled back over to the stool and sat down. The new leg would take some getting used to. He could tell he wouldn't be walking for long on it before he'd need a break. 'Guess some trainin's in order.' he thought to himself.

Lucrecia: "Mmmm, you should probably leave the ears out until the Mites are gone. I don't know how well or if at all the treatment will work if you put them away." Lucrecia answered, "Is the leg to heavy?"

Reno: Reno shook his head. "Naw. I'll just have to get used to it. It's a little strange is all. I'll have to work at it bit by bit I suppose but I thought it'd be a /little/ easier if it's supposed to help me on the job an' all." He was beginning to have doubts the leg would hold up to his expectations but didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin how happy Rude seemed about it.

Lucrecia: "Well this one is just a prototype. And once the actual one is made if there are any problems just bring them up and we'll fix them." Lucrecia smiled at him.

Rude: "When you're done playing with your ears Red, remember to wash your hands. I don't want you getting sick." Rude rumbled quietly.

Reno: "M'not playin' with'em! They're just annoyin' me cause they're all sticky now!" The Turk stopped touching his ears, stood up, and washed the product off his hands. "There! Happy?!" Reno wasn't sure why he was in such a petty mood when he'd just had his leg replaced. Maybe it was just the products bothering him. All he knew is he was getting really irritable.

Rude: Hmmm, Rude thought to himself, someone needs an outlet. "Well thanks for your help Lu. But I think we should probably get going."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia nodded her head, "Any time boys." She turned back to her other work.

Rude: "You wanna go eat or something? Maybe laze around the apartment for a while and watch a movie?" Rude was hopeful he could convince his partner to at least leave the labs.

Reno: It was times like this when Reno really appreciated Rude's ability to read him. He could always tell when he was sad or angry and always knew how to deal with it. "Sure." The redhead chose not to speak much until they got home, knowing he'd say something he'd regret by going overboard if he didn't. At home Reno could spazz all he wanted because Rude seemed to understand he simply needed to now and then. Especially when he'd been still for as long as he had been.

Rude: Rude helped his partner walk back to their room, keeping the crutch with them just in case. "So, what do you wanna do?" Rude asked upon opening the door.


	20. Chapter 26

Reno: "A movie I guess. My leg's kinda buggin' me and I need somethin' that'll distract me from scratchin'." Reno explained and made his way over to 'his' couch. He flopped back with a sigh. "What do ya feel like watchin'? Ya already know what I like in movies so," The Turk shrugged and massaged the place where his real leg met the fake. It was a strange feeling but he was sure it would come in time.

Rude: Rude smiled as his partner flopped on the couch in his usual manner, and moved over to pop in Reno's favorite movie before sitting next to him. "Anything's fine with me."

Reno: Reno instantly leaned against Rude and closed his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. "Hey um...Remember what ya asked me at the hospital?" The Turk's ears flopped down and his tail stilled.

Rude: "Which thing?" Rude was lost for a few seconds before he realized what Reno was probably asking about. "The kid thing?"

Reno: Reno nodded and stared at the television. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. He'd been thinking a lot about Rude's question about having a kid and he really couldn't get it out of his head. "Why'd ya have to ask me 'bout kids?" Reno never thought of himself as fit for a parent but it kept jabbing at his mind. "I'd never be a father figure an' ya know it. I kill, I smoke, I swear, I drink...I just...It's like teasin' my heart just to think 'bout it. My family would grow again but wouldn't it be for the wrong reason? I could never equal my parents. I don't get this cause I don't even know if I really want a kid or not. Just the thought of it's kinda...I don't know." How the hell was he supposed to explain this one?

Rude: "Reno it's okay. I simply asked if you were so keen on everything happening with Cess and her baby because you might want your own in the future. If you'll recall I asked if it was that or something else. I also asked you that in the Cafeteria, not the med bay. I was honestly figuring that it was the other option: the fact that you suddenly have family members again. That you have people to worry about." Rude shrugged a shoulder and leaned over to kiss Reno's brow.

Reno: Reno looked up at Rude. "It's kinda both I guess. I do have a family to worry 'bout now but-" The redhead facepalmed himself. "Gah! This is so stupid! I couldn't keep a fish alive, let alone another human! So why the fuck am I thinkin' about it?! I'll just get a fuckin' kitten'r somethin'!" He puffed up his cheeks and crossed his arms. He could NOT be a father! It was ridiculous to even consider!

Rude: Rude chuckled, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, or feel like eventually have a kid was something you should do. I think a cat would be a much better bet... since you don't like dogs anymore." The tall man rolled his eyes.

Reno: "Haha, very funny." he replied sarcastically. "I'm gonna get a cup o' tea. Ya want one?" he asked and stood, taking a moment to steady himself. He'd forget about the kid thing for now. He was probably just overwhelmed by everything.

Rude: "Sure, sounds good." Rude smiled up at him happily.

Reno: He knew he probably looked a little funny trying to use his new leg but it was practice he'd need. After setting the kettle to boil and pulling out two large mugs, Reno hopped up on the counter to simply sit and wait for the water to boil. He knew it would only be a pain to walk back and forth. The turk tilted his head curiously. "Hey, babe? Do ya think I might actually be able to get a kitten?" Reno had no idea he was giving his partner begging eyes. "I never really had a pet sooooo...can I?"

Rude: "I don't see why not, there's ShinRa's got no rules against pets." He looked away from the TV and over to his partner and simply stared for a while, "Why are you so adorable?"

Reno: "Hm?" The small Turk shook his head when he noticed. "Oh. Well, then do ya think we could head to a shelter'r somethin' tomorrow? I'd really like to see some and I hear they even let ya play with'em fer a while to see if yer sure ya want that certain pet." Reno had a small smile, thinking about how much fun it would be.

Rude: Rude smiled, "Sounds like a plan. It'll be good for you to have a pet while you get used to your new leg as well. Cause I'm gonna have to start going on missions again and I'm pretty sure you'll be stuck on desk duty till you're used to it." He'd love having a pet around, Rude had always loved animals.

Reno: Reno's bright smile faded and his expression turned somber, finally realizing he'd be left behind for quite some time. "Oh yeah. Guess yer right." The redhead jumped down when the kettle finally boiled and poured them their tea. When he went to unplug the appliance, he wound up getting a small shock from the outlet. "Ah! Fuck!" he cursed, shaking his hand and sucking on his now stinging fingers.

Rude: Rude rose from the couch, "You alright?" He moved over and wrapped his arms around Reno's waist and kissed the side of his neck.

Reno: Resting his head on Rude's shoulder, he nodded in affirmation. "Yeah. It's just gonna be hard bein' left behind." he explained and continued trying to stop the burning in his digits. Reno held onto Rude's jacket and sighed. "I don't wanna sound needy or nothin' but ya know I get lonely easily."

Rude: "Mhm, I know. That's part of why I think a cat would be a great idea." He grabbed up Reno's shocked digits and twisted his tongue around them gently before he blew on them. He repeated the process until he was satisfied that they didn't hurt anymore.

Reno: Rude's actions made Reno blush and smile meekly. "I know and I'm really lookin' forward to it but..." The redhead ran his knuckles over Rude's cheek and sighed. "It's not the same as havin' ya 'round."

Rude: "I know." Rude kissed Reno's nose, "Missions aren't the same without you either." He leaned in and kissed his partner deeply.

Reno: Reno melted and wrapped his arms around Rude's neck, missing the man already. He didn't want to let him go because he knew if he did time would go by too quickly and the next thing he'd know is waking up in an empty bed without him. They had tomorrow together but one day was nothing when it came to them.

Rude: Rude groaned as Reno wrapped his arms around his neck, he loved how close they'd gotten over the last week. He felt like he'd been waiting for it to be like this forever. He was a bit miffed that so much pain had been delivered in order to get there, especially in such a short amount of time. But Rude would gladly hold his partner like this forever and simply kiss him senseless.

Reno: Reno rested his head on Rude's shoulder again and nuzzled into his neck. "Thank you." Even when Rude went on missions he thought of him. That touched Reno on so many levels. Even thinking a kitten would make it easier for him was crazy. "Let's just drink our tea and...watch the movie." Reno was going to say cuddle but he still wasn't used to most of the mushy stuff.

Rude: Rude smiled down to him, "Sure thing hotrod." He grabbed up their mugs and set them on the table in front of the couch. Sitting down he opened his arms to the redhead, "Come're."

Reno: Reno blushed and crawled next to Rude, huddling up to him with a content sigh. "Mmm. Love ya." he mumbled. The small Turk wasn't sure why but he laid back and pulled Rude on top of him. It was one of his rare moments when he wasn't actually being a perv. He just wanted to have Rude as close as possible.

Rude: Rude smiled, "I love you too." He got comfortable laying over Reno, making it so that he wasn't squishing the man, and laid his head on his shoulder.

Reno: Reno bit his lip. He wanted to ask but as usual, his pride was getting in the way. "Yo, Rude? Um...I. Could ya..." The Turk's brain seemed to freeze. He hated this because he made a bigger deal out of things that weren't a big deal at all. All Reno wanted was to sit there and have Rude just touch and kiss him. He knew that was fine so why couldn't he ask?

Rude: Rude nuzzled Reno's neck and kissed his chin, drawing a hand along the redhead's side he used his other arm to lever himself up again. "Yeah Reno?"

Reno: Reno wasn't sure how to say it without sounding corny or needy but maybe he could. Then again, Rude had told him before that he could tell him whatever he wanted no matter how stupid, mushy, or pointless it was. "Well, ya kinda figured it out on yer own. I just wanted some...attention?" Was that the right way to put it?

Rude: "Mmmm, you want attention huh?" Rude lazily leaned in and kissed up Reno's jaw line from chin to where it met his neck. He licked the spot there before rising and grinning down at Reno.

Reno: Reno moaned at Rude's touch and couldn't help but smile and nod. "Mhm." The redhead began undressing himself, getting sick of his suit as usual. He was half naked around 80% of the time they were home anyways and it had been a long day to begin with. Once his chest was bare, the Turk undid his pants and let his body just sink into the soft couch with that same happy smile. "Damn that's so much better."

Rude: Rude smirked, "Dork." The big Turk sat up tossed his suit jacket to the side and took his own shirt off before laying back down over Reno. He kissed the lips before him before moving down and laving attention on his partner's chest with his lips and fingers.

Reno: Reno didn't bother commenting back on the name calling and just chose to enjoy the moment. He reached down and scratched behind his partner's ear, stopping now and again to play with his many earrings. Reno couldn't help but chuckle. "Mmm. I'm totally fallin' asleep, babe. I'm a lot more drained than I thought." Reno really wanted to sleep but he didn't want Rude to stop now. He was loving the attention.

Rude: Rude grinned and slide his own chest up Reno's, "Tired already? You haven't drunk any of your tea yet." He raised his eyebrows before kissing the man's mouth again. He sat up and reached for his own mug taking a sip of the now lukewarm beverage.

Reno: "Mhm...I know." Reno yawned and rubbed his eyes. His eyelids were getting heavy and he was a bit too sleepy to focus on much. "Got a favor to ask. I gotta sleep but can ya kiss me an' stuff till I actually fall asleep?" Things seemed far easier to ask when he was tired.

Rude: Rude grinned, "Sure thing love." And he proceeded to do just that. Once the redhead was out he carried him into bed, taking the new leg off so that it wouldn't shave while the man slept. He curled up around his partner and fell asleep himself.


	21. Chapter 27

Reno: Reno woke the next day and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He gave Rude a kiss on the cheek and smiled at his snoring lover with a light laugh. The redhead figured he'd make breakfast for them and stood up, only to tumble to the floor. He looked back to see his fake leg had been removed. He guessed Rude had taken it off when he'd fallen asleep. The small Turk's suspicions were proven correct when he saw the fake limb on the dresser. Reno couldn't help but laugh. Oh yeah. This would take a lot of getting used to.

Rude: Rude woke as something large hit the floor to find Reno laughing as he looked up at his leg on the dresser. "Sorry Red. I didn't want it to chaff while you were asleep."

Reno: "Heh. Don't worry 'bout it, babe. Just wasn't expectin' it." he explained as he reached up and grabbed his knew limb. Not bothering to get back on the bed, Reno sat where he was and reattached the prototype and tested it a bit, flexing the toes, and bending his knee. "There! Problem fixed!" he said, wiping his hands together as if getting invisible dirt off them. He made his way to the kitchen and called back. "I'm makin' tea but what do ya want fer breakfast, yo?"

Rude: "Hmmm, bagels? They go good with tea." Rude called over as he got dressed.

Reno: Reno licked his lips. They sure did. He popped some in the toaster and pulled out the peanut butter, jam, and butter so Rude could put whatever he wanted on his. After the tea was ready, Reno sat at the table and sipped at it contently, waiting for the bagels to be done. When he remembered he and Rude's conversation the night before a bright smile returned to his face. "When we gonna head to the shelter, babe?" His mind filled with possibilities. What color would his kitten be? Would it be a special breed? A boy or a girl? He couldn't wait.

Rude: Rude came out dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed his tea before sitting down next to Reno. "We can leave after breakfast if you want."

Reno: Reno reached over and held Rude's hand. He knew his partner would be leaving on a mission the next day and wanted to enjoy his company as long as he could. "How long is this mission o' yers anyway?"

Rude: "I'm not really sure." The bald Turk hedged, his mission would take however long it needed in order to be done - which he didn't like at all. And Veld and Tseng had forbiddin him from telling Reno that he was going to be hunting down the wack-job that decided to blow up his partner. They all knew that Reno would want in on it, but they had to move fast and the redhead needed the time to get used to being legless.

Reno: "Not sure? Wouldn't they brief ya on it?" Reno was a bit confused but chose to forget about it for now. "Well, at any rate," his sentence trailed off as he finished his tea. "If yer gonna be gone fer a while," leaning close to his partner's ear he whispered. "We're gonna be spendin' today havin' fun and tonight...don't even think ya'll be getting out of a good fuck." The redhead sat back in his chair with that sly smirk of his and winked at the other Turk.

Rude: Rude shudder as potent imagery accompanied Reno's words, "Sounds good." He moved over to make up his bagel, slathering the warm bread with butter before returning to Reno's side and handing the redhead his own. Rude set the plate he'd put the bagel on the table and brought everything over so that Reno wouldn't have to get up again and then sat next to him and began eating. "Eat Red."

Reno: Reno never liked much on his bagel, feeling it took away from the taste of the bread. He was content with a little butter. It didn't take him long to scarf his food down. It never did. Licking the butter from his lips, he leaned back and decided not to rush Rude. If he had a long mission, Reno would keep things calm for him before he left. A beat slowly crept into his mind and he began whispering the tune, tapping his finger on his knee. "Take me by the tongue and I'll know you. Kiss me 'til you're drunk and I'll show you all the moves like Jagger. I've got the moves like Jagger. I've got the moves like Jagger. I don't need to try to control you. Look into my eyes and I'll own you with them moves like Jagger. I've got the moves like Jagger. I've got the moves like Jagger." These little singing sessions were a 'curse' he was stuck with since his days singing for change. But it was a curse he liked. When he thought about it, he /really/ like singing more than he thought. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Should I start singin' again?"

Rude: Rude grinned at his partner as the tune flowed out, "Sure, why not?" Honestly he could listen to Reno sing all day, all night... well forever really. He finished up his bagel and tea and looked at the redhead, "Ready hotrod?"

Reno: Reno nodded and stood up. He quickly got ready to head to the shelter but turned to Rude with a big smile. "Maybe I should just make a short album to see if I still got what it takes." The redhead walked over and wrapped his arms around Rude's neck and rested his head on his chest.

Rude: Rude wrapped his arms around Reno's waist, "You'll always have what it takes lover. But I think a lot of people would buy it if you made an album to sell."

Reno: Reno mostly sang for himself but he did kind of enjoy singing for other people. It was that rush of having all eyes on him and rocking a crowd with his voice alone. "It'd be nice to make some cash but I just wanna sing again for the hell o' singin'. It makes me happy."

Rude: Rude grinned down at him, "I know. It makes me happy too. I love listening to you." He bent down and kissed Reno lightly, barely ghosting over his lips. "While we're out getting you a kitty we could look around for a recording studio." He suggested.

Reno: Reno's eyes lit up hearing Rude's words. "Yer bringin' me out to get a cat so I won't be lonely, ya say ya can listen to me sing forever, an' ya wanna help me find a recording studio...STOP BEIN' PERFECT, DAMN IT!" Reno grinned and held his love in a bone breaking hug.

Rude: "Sorry, me not perfect would make the world end. My perfection is what keeps it spinning." Rude grinned impishly down at his fiery friend.

Reno: Reno playfully shoved the man and grabbed his hand, pulling him out the door. "Now let's go get my kitten!" he cheered. The redhead stumbled a bit when the temporary replacement hitched. It's movements weren't very smooth and a little difficult to control if he wasn't focused. He frowned and flexed the machine a few times until it moved with more ease. "There! So, to the shelter, grab my kitten, then to a studio?" he asked with a smile.

Rude: Rude smiled and laughed a bit at the smaller man's enthusiasm, "Sounds good." He didn't bother commenting on the leg issues, he knew they'd happen, Reno just needed to get used to it. He walked with him out to his car and simply grinned, he loved driving his car and he really didn't get to do it often enough.

Reno: Reno got in Rude's beloved car but not before reaching into the man's pocket to take the extra pair of shades he never left without. The redhead put them on and reclined a bit in the leather seat. He always felt like a badass when they drove in Rude's car because he felt there was no one else like them. It felt like they just popped out of a spy movie or something and Reno's imagination had a bit too much fun with it but Rude never seemed to mind. "A'right! Start'er up, yo!"

Rude: Rude grinned and slipped into his sleek muscle car and pulling out of his parking spot. He listened to the purring rumble of his engine for a few seconds as he waited for traffic to clear so he could leave the ShinRa compound, "Which shelter do you wanna hit up?"

Reno: "Which ever's closest." The Turk leaned forward and cranked up the radio when 'I'm sexy and I know it' came over the air waves. He smiled, feeling as though the blast had never even happened. He and Rude were just 'those damned street rats' again and Reno couldn't have been happier to be so. He started singing along with the song, not bothering to keep his voice down as usual. He hadn't sung with no restraints in what seemed like forever and figured now was a perfect time.

Rude: Rude just grinned as Reno answered him and then belted out with the music now blasting through his speakers. He shook his head and lowered the top on his mustang and sped down the highway to a shelter they used to take strays to all the time when they were basically strays themselves. He figured Reno would like that and constantly glanced over at the redhead for his reaction as they neared the shelter in Sector 4. It was honestly out of the way and certainly not what 'was closest' but Rude didn't care about that.


	22. Chapter 28

Reno: Reno sat forward when he recognized the familiar route. He looked to Rude and lifted the stolen shades from the bridge of his nose. "We goin' where I think we are?" he asked with a smile. "I can't believe ya remember this place!" He felt a mixture of feelings being there again as they drove in. It was a mix of happiness from helping so many fellow strays find homes and sadness from knowing not all of them made it out. But the past was the past. Right now they were here to find a kitten to bring home and not focus on the bad anymore. The redhead got out of the car, adjusted the shades, put his hands in his pockets, and walked to the entrance, knowing Rude would take a moment to lock up his 'baby'

Rude: Rude put the top up and got out of his car making sure it was locked before joining Reno at the entrance. "Yeah, I thought this would... well, mean more than just going to the closest place." He rubbed the back of his head and a slight blush covered his cheeks.

Reno: "Yer such a sop!" he joked and pulled Rude down to his level for a quick kiss in appreciation for the thoughtful gesture. The smaller Turk walked over to the desk to ask about the adoption process.

Mrs. Heeler: The older woman behind the counter looked up as the chime on the door sounded, she didn't get many visitors and she had more kids carrying on the tradition of bringing strays to her than of people adopting them. But she was hopeful every time the door opened. "Can I help yo-." She paused as both men entered the room. She completely missed what Reno had asked her as she tried to place why she felt like she knew them. The lady realized they were Turks easily enough, even without their normal uniform, the way they moved gave them away. But that wasn't it, she felt like she actually knew them, she began tapping her finger to her chin as she simply stared at them for a moment before asking, "Do I know you two?"

Reno: Reno chuckled. "Probably. We used to bring strays in fer ya all the time. I was the one that brought in that Rotty pup with a busted right hind leg. I was 14 I think." The Turk scratched the back of his head, trying to remember more details. "Well, it's nice to see ya'gain, granny!" Reno smirked, hoping her old nickname would jog her memory.

Mrs. Heeler: She clapped her hands, "That's it! Well you don't seem to have any lost souls with you this time, so what can I do for you?" She was honestly quite happy to see these two; they were the ones who had started the other street rats on bringing the stray animals to her. She hadn't seen either of them in years however, she'd thought they'd died and was very grateful that they hadn't. Being Turks wasn't a job to be overly proud of, but she was proud of them anyway. They'd made it out of the streets, they had lives that meant something, they had purpose. That was all she'd ever wanted for the two hard nuts with big hearts. "You still sing Ronan?" She gave a beaming smile to Rude, "And do you still dance Diego?" She paused for a heartbeat... "Um... am I aloud to call you those anymore?"

Reno: Reno winked. "Only in private!" He'd always had a womanizing attitude and joked with just about everyone. He knew the old friend of theirs always scolded him on being more respectful to women but he felt a little joke would be ok for old time's sake. "And yeah, I sing now and then. Ironically, I decided I'd start recording again just this mornin'! Ya must be able to read mind, granny! And Diego wouldn't be Diego if he didn't have his twinkle toes." he teased and kissed the man's cheek again. "He's still better than any of the stupid celebrities." The redhead thought for a moment and smiled at Rude. "Hey! If I do any more live shows like before, I should know some new dance moves! Ya gotta teach me cause all I know is hip hop an' stuff, babe."

Rude: Rude smiled at the both of them, "Sure thing Red." He placed his hand at the small of Reno's back and turned to face the woman, "We're here to adopt a kitten actually. I figured here was the best place to come Mrs. Heeler."

Reno: "You can get the info! I'm gonna see the kittens!" he cheered and ran back to the kennels as though he had never grown up at all. As he walked through the cages, Reno saw so much of himself. These animals were the 'throw aways'. Just like he'd been. He noticed a door and frowned when he realized it was the shelter's death row. Maybe. Just maybe. The Turk opened the door and could only stare, seeing so many young, healthy, perfectly suitable pets would be killed because they had little space for them. As he walked down the path of kennels, he jumped and grabbed his arm when a little orange tabby reached out and scratched him, then hissed. Reno could tell. The feline had enough and wasn't going to take any of this lying down or without putting up a fight. The redhead looked at the cat's papers and saw that he was brought in as a stray. "You too, huh?" he whispered. "Ya shouldn't bother with the attitude, yo. I know all about it. I know what yer all about." Reno could tell the cat didn't trust him and even had that same glare he used to have. The glare he still had on occasion. Reno looked at his tag. "Tucker, huh?" Turning to his partner, Reno called him over, knowing he'd made his selection. "He's the one."

Rude: Rude had been talking to Mrs. Heeler about everything that would need to be taken care of while Reno scampered around the kennels, when he went through the door to death row the two shared a look. They instantly knew that he'd be taking a kitten from there, and probably an angry one. When Reno called out they both moved to him, Mrs. Heeler's face drooped a little because this particular kitten had been ornery from the get-go but Rude just grinned as he looked over the orange furball. "You think you can handle someone who's just like you Red?" He gave his partner an appraising look, daring him to actually think that part over and not rush too fast. But he figured Reno had in fact already thought about it and was dead-set on this kitten.

Reno: Reno held the kitten to his chest and was very quietly scratching its fuzzy neck with a calm expression. "Hm?" The redhead looked up at his partner when he realized he was being addressed. "Oh, yeah." he replied and went straight back to comforting the feline. "I'm sure."

Rude: Rude smiled at him before kissing his forehead, earning a small hiss from the feline. He looked over at the information, "Tucker huh?" He turned to Mrs. Heeler, "We'll take him."

Mrs. Heeler: She beamed a smile at the both of them, "Alright then." She grabbed up the info and headed back to the front desk, "Follow me."

Reno: Never stopping his affections towards the kitten, Reno followed by keeping Rude's feet in his vision but mostly focused of Tucker. It wasn't a very effective idea as he bumped into his partner when he stopped. "Oops." He shook his head and walked over to Mrs. Heeler. "The date shows he's been here for months. It says he's only 5 months but he was a stray? Just how young was he when he got here?"

Mrs. Heeler: Mrs. Heeler smiled sadly, "One of the younger kids brought him and his whole litter in, I guess the momma had been hit by a car. They barely had their eyes open at the time. Out of eight only three survived, two have been adopted already. One of them was adopted by a SOLDIER, shocked me clear to my shoes!" She began getting all of the paperwork in order, "Well he's fixed already and he's house trained. He's just ornery." She smiled at the orange cat and the redhead. "I'm sure you two will take great care of him though. I just need you both to sign these papers and everything will be set. Hmmm, he'll need to update his shots in a couple of months though. I can give you the card for the Vet I use if you'd like. They already have his info."

Reno: Reno frowned when she explained Tucker's story. He really /was/ like him. The Turk was snapped from his thought when the kitten nuzzled his cheek. Reno couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, bud." He scratched behind Tucker's ear and wasted no time in signing the papers. "Yeah. A card would be good, if ya wouldn't mind, Grannny." The redhead cringed and adjusted his leg. It wasn't properly fitted for him like the permanent one would be so it got a bit uncomfortable after a while.

Mrs. Heeler: Mrs. Heeler handed Rude the card and told him which veterinarian she normally talked to and made them copies of the signed paperwork. As she handed the papers over to Rude she frowned over at Reno, "You alright there kid?"

Reno: "Yeah. Just gettin' used to this damned repla-" Reno sighed, realizing the woman obviously wouldn't have known. He didn't want to damped her spirits but he'd already said enough for her to catch on. "I uh, I kind got caught up in a blast. I can't say much else cause it's ShinRa info but my leg got blown off and I'm waitin' fer a new, fitted replacement." Reno had never been one to soften bad news or make it seem better than it was and simply explained the facts. He gave Mrs. Heeler a smile. "Don't worry though. ShinRa's got all the best scientists there are! They'll have a spiffy new one fer me in no time. Should be just as good as the old one, if not better!"

Mrs. Heeler: "Ahh, I was wondering why you weren't loping as gracefully as usual." She nodded her head decisively. "Well that's everything you need to take Tucker home with you. Well, unless you want a carrier?"

Reno: Reno blushed. "Yeah I won't be for a while." he explained with a sigh. "But a carrier would be a good idea cause Rude likes the top down on his car and I don't think Tucker knows how to fly." he joked.

Rude: Rude snorted with laughter and Mrs. Heeler chuckled, "I suppose not." She went to the back and grabbed a large on, just in case, you never knew just how big a stray cat would get. Rude insisted on paying for it along with paying the fee for adopting Tucker, he also grabbed food and water dishes and the cat food that Mrs. Heeler recommended and they were ready to go.

Reno: "I've got a paycheck too, ya know?" Reno knew Rude like treating him to things but didn't want him to always pay for everything. The redhead set the crate on the floor and gently coaxed Tucker into it. Smiling, he pat the kitten once more and closed the door then picked it up. "Let's get this street rat, well 'street cat' to a home." After giving their old friend a hug for the first time in years, the redhead took his leave and placed Tucker safely in the back seat.

Rude: Rude smirked and winked at Mrs. Heeler before following Reno out, "Well, you still wanna find a studio? Though I'm thinking you'd want one you could walk to, so Loveless Avenue or somewhere in Sector 8 would be best." He got in and started the car, putting the top down again.


	23. Chapter 29

Reno: "Good idea. It should get easier once I get the new leg. This one's helpful and all but it's kinda gimpy now and then. It hurts after a while too." Reno thought that was strange and pulled up his pant leg. Bruises were appearing in places the false limb had been pressing against. "Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers. Especially when they only got one leg." he joked.

Rude: Rude frowned at the dark marks marring his partners beautiful skin, "You may wanna go see Lu when we get back, let her know that this one is doing that so she can make sure the other doesn't do it so badly. I mean, your skin'll have to get used to it yes, but that seems a bit extreme." Rude drove back closer to the ShinRa building, "Do you want Loveless or Sec. 8?"

Reno: "Let's go with Loveless." Reno let his pant leg drape back over the replacement and massaged his throbbing limb. "I'll tell Lu when we get back but I'm sure it'll be fine. It'll just take time. I'll just have to wear it for shorter periods o' time or somethin'."

Rude: Rude nodded and turned off the highway to Sector 8, guiding his car around pedestrians who felt there was no reason for the sidewalk. He made it over to parking on Loveless Avenue and the top came up on his car again, "You think he'll be alright while we look around?"

Reno: The redhead winked. "I'll be fine. It's not as bad as it looks. Just a few bruises so I'm sure it's nothin' Lu can't fix." he explained and got out of the mustang only to poke his head back in momentarily. "Ya worry way too much, ya know that?"

Rude: Rude shook his head and climbed out of the car, "I was asking if Tucker will be okay. The windows are cracked an all, and we're not in the sun, but it's pretty hot today. I know you'll be just fine, cause if you're not I'll beat you up." He smirked over the top of his mustang at Reno.

Reno: "Hm. Good point." Reno opened the back and grabbed the crate. "Guess he's comin' with." He looked into the carrier and smiled at the sleeping ball of fluff. "Somethin' tells me he doesn't care either way."

Rude: Rude chuckled and locked up his car before moving around it to walk out of the parking garage with his partner. "Which side do we wanna travel down first? Left or right?"

Reno: "Whichever's fastest, of course!" Reno handed the carrier to Rude and hopped on his back, knowing he always caught him. "So, let's move cause I feel some tunes comin' on!" Reno kissed his partner's cheek and smiled.

Rude: "You dork." Rude grinned and got his partner situated on his back with the cat carrier in front of him, "Does that mean you already know what studio you wanna use?"

Reno: "Nope! It just means I feel like singin'! Let's just take a look right side first I guess. As long as I got somethin' goin' by the end of the day I don't care."

Rude: Rude nodded and started off down the road out down the road looking at all the different businesses there were. He noted that the live theater was doing Loveless the next week, he pointed it out saying, "We'll have to tell Gen about that."

Reno: Reno couldn't help but laugh. "Guess so." Reno kept wondering if there would be anything for him. He mostly sang hip hop, rock and the sort, so he needed something right down his alley.

Rude: Glancing across the street Rude saw a karaoke/recording studio in one and figured that would be a good bet so he stopped walking. Several people bumped into them because of his sudden stop but the kitten was still sleeping and as long as they didn't lose Reno's leg they were fine. He pointed across the way, "How about that place?"

Reno: Reno looked at the recording studio and nodded. "Worth a shot, yo!" He didn't care where he sang, he just wanted to sing something and share it. It was his way of communicating with people when he was younger without actually having to talk to them because he never trusted them. Not that people could blame him or Rude for their lack of it.

Rude: Rude smiled and simply walked out into the busy street, he got honked at a lot, but he dodged where needed and cars stopped in others. Once he was across he took them all into the building.

Reno: Reno hopped off of Rude's back and began looking around. It was a bit overwhelming since he'd never done anything major with his singing before. The singing he did on the streets wasn't anything like this. He still wanted to record but he began to wonder if he was really good enough for something this different. Turning back to Rude, The redhead gave a sheepish look and scratched the back of his head. "Um, maybe we should just take Tucker back home. It's probably a bit much on him to travel to a bunch o' places like this." he fibbed. "We could always come back some other time.

Rude: "Oh hell no, I see right through you Red." He pulled Reno up short by his collar and went over to the front desk, "What do you charge for using the recording studio?"

Fred: The clerk looked up and recognized the both of them instantly, "No way! Red, D! I haven't seen you two in forever! If yer gonna be singing again man just go for it! You'll sell so well, yer voice is amazing!"

Rude: Rude gave Reno a look, apparently the bald Turk wasn't his partner's only fanboy.

Reno: "But, Rude I..Hm?" Reno blinked a few times when he recognized their old street friend and apparent fan. The Turk felt a blush creep across his face, hearing the man's words. "Um, thanks." Did people like his music /that/ much? Shaking his head, Reno snapped back to reality and got his usual attitude back, though it was mostly a front. "But yeah, I would need a place to record fer a few if ya got a free spot." He kept up his 'smooth' act up, hoping his nervousness wouldn't show.

Fred: The kid - well he wasn't really a kid anymore, but Rude still thought of him that way - moved over to the computer and looked over the schedule. "You wanna make it a regular thing, or just today?"

Reno: Reno opened his mouth to speak but wasn't sure how to answer. "Uh, well, I kinda wanna test to see if I can still sing but if I can I wanna come back but..." The Turk scratched the back of his head and bit his lip. "I-um." 'Damn it, brain! Work!'

Rude: Rude came to the man's rescue, "He'd like to make it regular, trust me."

Fred: The man took him at his word, something you always did with D, cause if you didn't you usually got his fist in your face. "Well, there's a free room at the moment, number seven. But I can set you up for (Thursdays) or (Sundays) every week or do you wanna do a once a month thing? Or there's a spot open from 5 to 7 every day for the next month."

Reno: Reno swallowed the lump in his throat and chose shove past his anxiety. "I think...I think 5 to 7 would work. I can work that out with my boss." Reno wasn't expecting to jump right back into it like this but Rude usually knew best. The redhead looked up at the taller Turk, silently asking if it was such a good idea.

Rude: Rude simply smiled down at him whispered, "You can always change it later, this is something you can do while you get used to your leg." He turned to look at the former street rat behind the counter, "Is it alright if he has the cat with him?"

Fred: The kid looked at the carrier and smiled, "Yeah it's not a problem. Just... y'know, if he makes a mess please clean it up."

Reno: "Sure. No problem." Reno walked with Rude to studio seven and looked around at all of the recording equipment. He ran his fingers over the mic, feeling this whole place was out of his class. How could he sing like this? He felt like he could barely speak. Looking at Rude made him feel a little nervous but figured he'd heard him before so it wouldn't be a big deal. "So, what song? I'm kinda brain dead right now."

Rude: "Will it make you feel better if I play something or sing with you... or both?" Rude's baritone wasn't so bad, he couldn't sing like Reno could but he certainly wasn't tone deaf. "We could do one of Mrs. Heeler's favorites."  
Reno: Reno thought back to older times and took a deep breath. "We can sing together after I get myself together with one solo song." The redhead walked over to the records and found what he was looking for. Chuckling to himself, he passed it to Rude to play it, knowing it was an old one but it still held memories. It was just a tune but Reno had written lyrics to it long ago.

Rude: Rude smiled as he was handed the record and put it on, making sure all of the equipment was on the right settings for what Reno would need. "Ready when you are partner."

Reno: Reno held his breath when the music started but managed to loosen up when memories flooded back into his head. He remembered all the friends they'd lost while on the streets and everything they'd overcome. When his que came up he opened his mouth but nothing came out. 'Shit.' he cursed to himself. He choked. Shaking his head, Reno managed to catch up with the tune and start off a bit later, eventually evening out with the music. "Keep us strong as you've done thus far. Raise your head and face your scars. I'll be your heart. I'll be your strength until you know this pain will fade. Your soul is strong so carry on. Not for me but for the ones who hold you dear, who'll hold you near. The ones who'll stay to fend off your fears. I'll stand my guard and drop all pride. Just know I'm right here by your side I do not fear some hurtful words if all it means is to prove my worth to your heart, to your soul, to every part that makes you whole." Taking a step back from the mic, Reno blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets. He'd never messed up and actually lost the ability to sing like that. "My bad."

Rude: "What's bad about it?" Rude hit the replay of what he'd recorded of Reno singing and played it back to him. "You may have started out late, but honestly only me and you would even know that."

Reno: Listening to himself only freaked him out more. People would really be listening to him like /that/? "Yeah but...I mean." Reno facepalmed himself. How did he sing before? He /had/ to sing back then so they could survive and it was a way of communicating. Maybe he just needed to think of it in a different light. "Elsa." he whispered. "I-I'll sing fer Elsa." Butterflies built up in his stomach but he nodded, giving Rude the cue to play the song again.

Rude: Rude shook his head, he really couldn't understand what was making the redhead so damn nervous, he'd always sung from his heart, was his heart really that conflicted. He frowned at the thought because he knew he was probably part of the problem if that was the case. He replayed the track and began recording again. He instinctively went over to Tucker's carrier and opened it before the little guy could start meowing and distract Reno. He picked the kitten up and settled him on his shoulder as he sat back in his chair.

Reno: This time Reno's voice flowed much easier. It didn't hitch or lighten as he felt it would before. The redhead didn't even notice the smile that had crept across his face. He kept imagining Elsa's face, wondering if she'd look more like Cessnei or Genesis, or maybe she'd look like one of his parents. The thought warmed his heart. Before he knew it, the song had ended and he'd sang the whole thing, barely noticing. He looked over to Rude, wondering if he'd done well or not. "Well? I kinda zoned out."

Rude: "See for yourself." Rude played the music back to him with a silly grin on his face as Tucker chewed lightly on his thumb as he pet him.

Reno: Reno felt it that time. He felt his heart in the notes like he used to. He grinned at Rude when he saw he and Tucker. "That cat's gonna fit in perfectly." he said with a laugh. "That one was better but do ya think it would ever be enough to sell? I mean I don't have any songs of my own and that one's just my lyrics soooo, yeah. Damn. I gonna have to start writing my own songs then, huh?"

Rude: Rude chuckled quietly as Tucker settled himself to sleep on the Turk's broad shoulder, "You'll sell love. Never doubt that. And you're always coming up with lyrics so writing the songs shouldn't be too hard. However pushing to put out a record a.s.a.p. probably won't work. These things take time. Just have fun with it. That's all that matters right now. You can worry about finding or creating a band or whatever later."

Reno: "Guess yer right." Reno left the mic and walked over to Rude, leaning down to kiss him. When he pulled away he nudged the shades off the man's nose with his thumb to get a good look at his eyes. "Ya always know how to get things done, huh?" he asked, lightly scratching at Rude's chin.

Rude: Rude grinned, "Of course I do. I'm perfect remember?"

Reno: Reno sat on the floor and rested his head on Rude's lap with his eyes closed. "I'm gonna miss ya when yer on yer mission." he whispered, casually playing with the fabric of his partner's pants. "It gets lonely without ya."

Rude: Rude ran his fingers lightly over Reno's head and fiddled with his ponytail, "I'll miss you too. But you'll have Tucker. And I swear to Gaia if I come back and he's in poor health or Elena or anyone else is taking care of him instead of you. If you aren't already in the hospital again, I'll put you there." He stared down at the man with a serious look on his face before he couldn't hold it anymore and covered his face with one of his large hands to hide his silent laughter.

Reno: Reno looked up at his love with slight confusion. "Coarse I'll take care o' him, babe." he responded, crossing his arms over Rude's knees and setting his chin on them. "What's so funny?"

Rude: "Nothing." Rude sighed as Reno didn't even get how him being all angry and threatening to put his lover in the hospital over something he knew the redhead would do just fine at was funny. "You wanna record some more or go back to HQ and have Cornflour look at yer leg?

Reno: Reno closed his eyes and rocked his head back and forth, humming a few tunes that eventually became purrs. He unknowingly synced his own with Tucker's and nearly fell asleep along with the kitten.

Rude: Rude smiled as his partner nearly fell asleep and brushed his hand over his head, "I'm pretty sure yer not supposed to sleep here love."

Reno: Cracking one of his dazed green eyes half open, the smaller Turk looked up at Rude and mumbled. "Don't care. Just wanna get my leg checked, think o' some lyrics, an' go home so I cuddle up on the couch with ya an' Tucker. Recording can wait now that I know what I'm doin'." he explained in murmurs just loud enough to hear. He purred even louder when Rude pet his head.

Rude: Rude chuckled, alright then. The big man carefully maneuvered about so that he could get Tucker back in the carrier and turn off everything, simply erasing the recordings that Reno had done, since he figured the redhead wasn't really extremely proud of either. Then he handed the carrier to Reno and swept the man up into his arms and walked back out to the lobby. "Hey, it was Fred right?" Rude had been trying to figure the kid's name out since he'd recognized them. "I've got a card you can charge this to for today, I'm sure Red will pay for everything else himself when he comes back and stuff." He handed over his MakoGreen Card and the kid's' eyes widened knowing that having a Mako Card meant that you worked for ShinRa. He swiped it with a nod and waved goodbye as the left the building.

Reno: Reno still got the occasional surprise when Rude just swept him up like that but soon forgot about it. "Fred, huh? I remember him, yo. Wasn't he the one who kept an eye out fer lost wallets an' made sure no one stole my singing tips?" Reno furrowed his brows in thought, trying to remember more.

Rude: "Hmmm, yeah I think so. It was a long time ago though. Well, at least it sure feels like it was a long time ago." He walked back down the street carrying his precious bundles of Turk and cat, heading back to the parking garage and his car so that they could have Lucrecia look at Reno's leg.  
Reno: Reno carefully placed Tucker in the back and quickly took shotgun, next to Rude. "A'right! So we get the kitten home first or head to the lab first?"

Rude: "Let's settle Tucker in first, get all of the food and litter box and whatnot set up. Then we can go see Lu." Rude answered as he buckled in and started up his car before rolling out of the parking garage and onto the highway.

Reno: "Sounds good!" The redhead reclined in the leather seat and sighed happily. He knew his recent drowsiness had something to do with the feline DNA not that it bothered him much. He was fully awake when the ears were gone but he had to keep them out until the mites were gone. He stretched and nearly fell asleep in the car, mentally slapping himself awake now and then.


	24. Chapter 30

Rude: The drive back was unnaturally quiet due to Reno's energy depletion. "You should shower when we get back," Rude suggested, "Or do you just wanna see Lu first and take a shower after?" He parked the car in his usual spot and hopped out of the car, opening the back door to grab litter, cat food and the bag with dishes and the litter box.

Reno: Reno mumbled and shuffled around on the seat. He'd fully fallen asleep on the ride back and was quite determined to stay asleep. However, he knew he had to get up to get his leg checked. He just had to get his body to listen but it was too busy being a mumbling, snoring, lazy, ball of mush.

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes and turned Turk on his partner, "RENO!" Tucker jumped in his cage and Rude felt like a totally horrible person but he continued anyway, "Get out of my car. Get yer cat out of my car. Get in the building. Or I'm taking the kitten in, setting him up and then coming back to kick you out of my car and will lock you out of the building." It was really an empty threat, no one knew more ways to get into HQ without being seen or with being seen than Reno. But Rude was trying to jump start his partner, so he was hoping it would work.

Reno: Reno was /very/ happy Rude's car didn't have a roof. If it did, he'd have smashed his head in because of how quickly he shot out of his seat. The redhead turned to look at the taller man with a nearly horrified expression. "Holy shit, Rude! Scared the crap outta me! Hm?" Reno pouted and hopped out to kneel in front of Tucker's cage. "Ya scared lil' Tucker too, yo. Poor guy's shakin'." Reno frowned at his partner. He knew he didn't mean to frighten the cat though. "Meanie." He grabbed the kennel and took Tucker inside. "Well I'm up now so get yer ass inside or I'll lock /you/ out! See how ya like yerself, yo!" he called back.

Rude: Rude chuckled as Reno shot up and got out of the car berating him the entire way. Rude would just call to have someone let him in if Reno locked him out - which of course Reno could have done as well. "You'd really leave me out here with all the stuff to take care of your kitten? And you call me a meanie?" Rude walked over behind the redhead, he'd come back and close up his car in a bit.

Reno: "I'm jokin'." Reno laughed and bumped Rude with his hip as they made their way to their place. The redhead lifted the cage to look in at the confused kitten and pokes his finger in the tiny bars. "Wasn't I? Hm? Who's my kitty?" Reno had never owned a pet and it was nice to have the little fuzz ball to fuss over if he was completely honest.

Rude: Rude smiled and walked down the hallways with Reno, "You'll have to get the door, my arms are full." He'd nearly dropped one of the bags when Reno had bumped him and there was no way he'd be able to finagle out his keys and unlock and open the door.

Reno: "Sure thing, babe." Reno reached into Rude's pocket even though he had his own key, simply for an excuse to grope the man and let the two of them in. He carefully set the cage down and took Tucker out, holding him to his chest and nuzzling him. Turning to Rude, the redhead gave him begging eyes. "Can he sleep with us tonight, babe? Please?"

Rude: "I don't see why not. As long as he doesn't claw up the sheets I'm good." Rude set down the bags of food and litter and began taking things out of the other bag. He set up the litter box, putting it in a corner out of the way in the living room, then he grabbed the dishes and put water in one, setting it down in the kitchen where it wouldn't be in the way - he sat the one for food next to it. He stored the bag of litter in the supply closet and put the bag of cat food in the pantry, he found an old cup to use as a scoop and opened the bag to put it in it.

Reno: Reno watched Rude put everything in its place and quirked an eyebrow. "I take it ya had pets an' I never noticed? OW!" Tucker bit the Turk's finger and was dropped but landed on his feet and ran to the bag of food. "Little fucker. I get ya a spot in my bed and that how ya repay me?" Reno sucked on his bleeding index finger and frowned.

Rude: "Didn't have any no. But I helped out at shelters a lot, and I've wanted one for a while. I just didn't know if you'd like to have a pet or not. I've thought about it a lot." Rude looked down with a blush and grinned at the kitten who was now pawing at the bag. "And that's why we put it in the pantry where you can't get at it." He grinned and picked the kitten up while scooping out some food. He moved over to the dish and slide the food in it before placing the cat before it.

Reno: Reno smiled warmly, not expecting Rude to be so effected by Tucker. "Why didn't ya just ask me, yo? I like animals. I thought ya were the type to be all picky 'bout them makin' messes an' stuff." the small Turk walked over to his partner but froze when he felt that same pain in his leg. It was just bruising but the constant pressure from his replacement hurt more than expected. Reno held Rude's arm for better balance and put most of his body weight on his good leg. "I think I need to rest this damn thing."

Rude: Rude nodded sharply and hoisted his partner into his arms, "We'll be right back Tucker." He told the kitten who had his face in the food dish before sweeping from the room and taking his partner down to see Lucrecia.

Reno: Reno sighed with relief when the pressure on his leg disappeared, taking most of the pain with it. He wrapped his arms around Rude's neck, not really caring who saw and nuzzled his neck with gratitude. "Thanks, babe. I think I just have to watch how long I stand on it." he whispered. He was getting a bit sleepy again but figured it wasn't as big of a deal if he was just in Rude's arms. The only problem was Reno did foolish things when he was drowsy. The redhead began kissing and licking at his partner's neck with half lidded eyes.

Rude: Rude simply smiled at Reno's sleepy antics and enjoyed them until they made it to Lucrecia's office, once there he sat the tired man on a bench. "Hey Lu," He called over to the woman busy reading over a mound of paperwork on her desk.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia looked up and smiled at them, "How's everything going so far. Mites? Leg?"

Reno: Reno groggily wiped his eyes and looked over at the scientist. "S'all good. My leg's bruisin' a bit but I think it's cause I walked 'round on it too much today. I don't think it's that bad." The redhead felt his ears but wasn't sure. "I'm not sure how the mite situation is though. I haven't seen one."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia stood and moved around her desk to them, she bent in front of Reno and checked his ears, "Well the Mites seem to be gone, so you should take a shower when you get back to your room. Let's see the damage to your leg." The woman knelt down and undid the bindings that held the leg in place and pulled it away. She gasped at the massive amount of bruising, "Well this just won't do. It should bruise so much from just one day, hmmm, I wonder what the problem is." She stood up with the leg and went over to a counter and took out some vials of stuff and coated the part that touched Reno's skin with the matter before putting it under an interesting instrument. "Well it seems I'll have to be more careful with the actual leg when I make it, this one seems to have spots that dig into you. So I'll see if I can put some kind of cushioning there so it won't do that. Can't have it doing this while yer on a job, that would be horrible." The woman mutter to them and herself as she continued to look it over and make notes to what spots were problems.

Reno: Reno shook his head once she had checked his ears from the ticklish sensation and covered them. Looking down at his bruised leg, the Turk couldn't help but frown. He thought he was making more progress than that. He held a hand over the throbbing area and looked out the window, away from the others. He wasn't sure why but it was a little embarrassing when his injury showed. Of course almost everyone knew but it still bothered him. "Right." was his quiet response.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia tsked over her apparatus some more before leaving the room and returning quickly with a bag that seemed to be filled with some kind of gel. She put the very flat but gooshy bag on the leg and came back to Reno, "Let's see if this helps a bit okay? It'll still hurt since it's so bruised already, but hopefully this will keep it from bruising more." She strapped the leg back on the redhead as Rude simply watched over them, not really know what to do. "Alright," She commented as she finished tying it on, "How's that feel?"

Reno: Reno lowered his leg and put pressure on it. Sure enough, it still hurt but it was better. "Yeah. It feels better. Thanks, Lu." The redhead looked up at his partner momentarily but quickly lowered his gaze again. "Can we head back now? My leg's a'right. It's just a bit sore." he explained, making sure it was well covered when he pulled his pant leg back down. He just wanted to go back and hold Tucker or watch a movie. He wanted to forget about his leg again. Coming back to the lab he found just reminded him he was wounded.

Lucrecia: "I'll be sure to add in the new stuff to the schematics for the real one." Lucrecia smiled and rose going back to her desk, "You're welcome Reno. The materials should be here tomorrow, so you'll have your leg soon."

Rude: Rude nodded to his partner, "Of course Red."

Reno: "Thanks." Reno stood up and began making his way back to their room. His leg wasn't that sore and he knew this feeling would go away soon. He just hated how it felt when it was around. "Ya comin, love?"

Rude: A huge doofy grin split Rude's face at how comfortable Reno now seemed to be with calling him 'love', it made him feel special. "Yeah, I'm comin'." He moved out of the lab with Reno and they walked back to their room.

Reno: Noticing the other man's smile made Reno laugh. Once Rude caught up the redhead pushed it a bit further, knowing it meant a lot to him and openly held his hand. "Yer such a softy, ya know that?" he asked with a smile. It was a trait Reno loved though. Rude was proof you could love flowers, romance, and chick flicks and still be 100% badass. He wasn't a fan of those things himself but it was nice to treat Rude to little things like that now and then. Reno's thoughts reminded him that Valentine's day was soon and he'd have to find something for his partner while he was gone on his mission. "What would ya want fer a Valentine's day gift, yo?" a slight blush crossed Reno's cheeks.

Rude: Rude nearly stopped his stride he was so startled by the question, but he looked down at his partner with a smile. "Anything you give me is great." They reached their room and Rude held the door open for Reno and followed him inside instantly searching for their new roommate.

Reno: Reno grabbed a handful of cat food and sat on their living room floor, waiting for the kitten to come out. "But really, I wanna get ya somethin'. Would ya want flowers?" he asked, looking around for the orange fuzz ball. He heard a rip and his eyes went wide. The small Turk jumped up and shoved Rude back on the couch, handing him the food. "Y-Ya stay there and try to find him! I'll go look in our room, 'kay?" He made a mad dash to their room and was horrified to see Tucker tearing up their bed sheets. "Shit!" Reno pressed his back to the door, trying to block it and laughed nervously. "M-Maybe he got out?"

Rude: Rude rolled his eyes and sighed accepting the cat food and putting it back in the bag, "Knew I should of closed the bedroom door." He muttered to himself as he moved up to the door, "Reno, I'm not deaf, just make him stop. Let him know that it's a bad thing to do and I'll just remake the bed."

Reno: Reno slipped into the room and picked Tucker up by the scruff of his neck. "How the fuck do ya scold a kitten, yo?" he asked, glaring at the feline, who now refused to make eye contact with him. Reno felt a tug on his heart strings and looked over at Rude. "Maybe it was an accident. They need to sharpen their claws on somethin' an' we did leave the door open." Reno couldn't help himself. He'd given many street dogs commands but he couldn't bring himself to punish his new pet.

Rude: Rude shook his head firmly, "Cat's don't make mistakes. The claim territory. You have to let him know that the bed isn't just his. Just point him at the ripped sheets and tap his nose and tell him no. I mean, we'll probably have to do it a bit, but he'll get annoyed enough with it to stop eventually."

Reno: "Everyone makes mistakes." Reno mumbled and held the kitten close then began to pet it. "He's just a baby too. If we get him a scratching post he should stop, right?" Reno was being far too similar to Tucker that very moment. He knew the cat messed up but he didn't want to punish him and refused to look at Rude as his excuses got worse and worse.

Rude: "No Reno." Rude marched over and took the kitten from Reno he held the cat to the torn sheets and firmly told him no and set him on the floor. "You can't pet him after he does something like that Red, he'll think it's a good thing to do! Yes we can get him a scratching post, but he won't instantly start using that instead of other things, we have to teach him that the post is the only thing he's allowed to scratch. You have to be firm. I know it's difficult, but you have to. If you can't do that I won't let you keep him." Rude's tone was soft but hard as stone, he really liked Tucker already and desperately wanted to keep him. But he wasn't going to let Reno turn him into the bad guy for the poor cat simply because he wouldn't punish a wrong doing. He didn't want that, he wanted the kitten to like him to.

Reno: "But-" Reno got a look of guilt but nodded. He knew full well that Tucker needed a firm hand now more than ever /because/ he was young and hadn't learned anything so far from the shelter. "Sorry." The Turk's face went red and he kept his gaze on the floor. "Just don't take'em away. I'll let him know from now on."

Rude: Rude nodded, "I won't love, I want him to." He engulfed Reno in a warm hug and Tucker moved to them and sat on the big Turks boot a little miffed that he was all the way down there by himself.

Reno: Reno smiled and held Rude but looked down and laughed at Tucker's face. "Think someone's jealous."

Rude: Rude grinned and bent down to pick up the kitten, "Hey little guy." He kissed the kitten's head - eliciting a half-hearted swipe at his chin from him - and set Tucker on Reno's shoulder. Smiling he leaned forward and kissed Reno, "You need to wash that stuff off love."

Reno: Reno closed his eyes and moaned when he felt Rude's lips against his own. He nuzzled against the kitten with a smile. "What stuff?"

Rude: "The ear mite solution duffus." Rude's eyes twinkled, "Think we should make sure Tucker likes water? Cause you can totally teach them to like it."

Reno: "Uh ok." The redhead handed Rude the feline and began undressing himself as he walked to the bathroom. "So, just a bath I'm guessin'? I doubt he'd like a shower." he joked, calling back to his partner and ran the water.

Rude: "Mmmm," Rude smiled into Tucker's fur, "I get to bathe my kitties." He moved into the bathroom after Reno watching as he undressed. He closed the door behind him so that Tucker couldn't leave the bathroom if he climbed out of the tub.

Reno: Reno was already in the large tub as the water began to fill it. He'd always loved water. He could remember how much fun he had the first time he and Rude went to a hotel for business and he nearly drowned from swimming for almost 5 hours. He heard the occasional 'fish' joke but it didn't matter. Reno adored water. He laid on his stomach since the level was so low and just enjoyed its warmth.

Rude: With a warm smile Rude sat the curious kitten down on Reno's back in the tub. Tucker didn't seem to be afraid of the sound of the water, so that was good. Once Tucker was there he padded around for a bit before sniffing at the water and then batting at it. He shook his wet little paw and glared at it slightly, like it had committed a wrong worthy of death making Rude chuckle as he dressed down himself in case the whole bathroom got soaked by a little ball of fluff. Rude settled down at the side of the tub just as Tucker walked clean off Reno's back and began paddling around in the water.

Reno: Reno smiled when Tucker began paddling around. "I don't think water's gonna be a problem." The Turk was in his usual content daze that came about when he was comfortable. The water eventually got up over his back, causing him to sigh happily.

Rude: "So it would seem." Rude smiled and settled next to the tub, "Commence the washing or your ears love, and I'd do your ears first so yer sensitive nose doesn't catch the sent when you wash the other stuff off."

Reno: Reno gave a look of disgust at the memory of that scent and began cleaning up his fuzzy ears. He was happy when there was no itching and the scent wasn't as strong as it had been. The Turk smirked and shook his head, flicking water off of his ears and bright hair in every direction. He quickly leaned up to kiss Rude's cheek and laughed. "Couldn't resist."

Rude: Rude kissed him back and smirked, "Yeah, well, that's why I undressed as well." He watched as Tucker began cleaning himself as well, having found the shallow end of the tub and stretching his small body up the side. The kitten carefully began cleaning his own ears and Rude laughed, "He already takes after you."

Reno: Reno splashed the water with his tail, making Tucker jump but they quickly turned it into a game and began making small splashes back and forth. Tucker would hesitantly raise his paw and smack the water and Reno would simply tap it with his fingers. Resting his chin on the side of the tub, Reno looked up at Rude and smiled but recoiled into the water when a cool breeze came in the window, sending a chill to his bones.

Rude: Rude watched his two kitties play in the water until he saw Reno's reaction to the breeze and moved over to close the window. "Well finish getting clean love, you still sleepy or do you wanna watch a movie or something?" He wanted to spend the rest of the day with Reno since he'd be leaving early in the morning the next day.

Reno: Reno blushed and sighed. "Just wanna steal yer wool socks an' sweater an' snuggle fer a movie. I'm sleepy but I wanna spend time with ya cause yer leavin' soon."

Rude: Rude smiled, "Alright." He leaned in and picked up Tucker, then grabbed a towel and started carefully drying the fluffball as Reno finished his bath. Once the kitten was dry enough he sat him down on the floor and opened the door. He went out and grabbed his flannel pj pants and slid into them and grabbed up the clothing that Reno wanted and brought it in to him.

Reno: Once he was cleaned up, Reno jumped out of the tub and dried himself off. He brushed out his oh so treasured hair and blew it dry. Occasionally blowing the hot air over his chilled skin. He wasted no time in dressing himself. He adored Rude's large warm sweater and socks and wore them whenever he got the chance. Reno walked over to his partner and pulled him into a hug.


	25. Chapter 32

**_Chapter 31 is on dA._**

Rude: When Reno took his hand a warm smile crossed Rude's face and stayed there as they walked to the elevators and up to Cissnei's door. He would think about that hot little promise while he was on his mission as a reason to hurry it along as well as a reason to be thorough. He wanted to catch this asshole so he couldn't hurt /his/ Reno ever again. Reaching the door he smiled down at Reno and gave him a quick kiss before knocking on the door.

Reno: Reno smiled when Rude kissed him and opened the door when Cessnei called from the other side. The redhead froze where he was, finally seeing Elsa drinking from a bottle in her mother's arms. It put all of his worries to rest. She was wrapped up snuggly, had a small wool hat to keep her warm, and Cessnei's comfort. The redhead swallowed the lump in his throat but didn't move, just watching as Elsa happily drank her formula. 'Not hungry, not cold, not lonely, nothin'.' Reno thought, still trying to wrap his head around it. Finally regaining the use of his limbs, he made his way over, never letting go of Rude's hand and stopped beside his sister's bed. Elsa looked just like their mother. She had ginger hair and freckles all over her face. Reno squeezed Rude's hand in an attempt to keep it together.

Cissnei: Cissnei heard the knock and told whoever it was to come on in. Genesis was currently curled up in a chair beside the bed sleeping away, the poor guy had had a long night - taking the baby so she could sleep, he was rather good with her. It made Cissnei smile that her little family worked so well. However she didn't feel complete until Reno and Rude walked through the door. Her eyes softened as she watched Reno's reaction to her feeding Elsa and she smiled at them. "Well if it isn't my little brother."

Rude: Rude squeezed his hand back and stayed quiet, nodding his head in greeting to Cissnei. He knew a lot of Reno's fears had been unfounded, but the man had had them anyway. So it was good that he could finally lay them to rest, since it was obvious that Cissnei and Elsa were perfectly fine.

Reno: 'What do I say? Where the hell do I start? I haven't seen her since the blast. There's so much to talk about but what?!' Reno was arguing with his own mind. He should probably just explain that the blast was no big deal and he's fine. No, he should say hi to Elsa, or maybe announce the proposal? Reno shook his head and said the first thing that came to mind. "Congrats." His voice was low, not wanting to disturb his niece. "I've uh...I've really been trying to see ya, sis. How's she feelin'?"

Cissnei: Cissnei giggled as the emotions played over Reno's face. "Both of us are doing great." She answered him, "You seem like you have a lot on your mind though."

Rude: Rude grinned at the two of them then looked at the time on the clock on the wall. 9:45 "Shoot. Hey Ciss, can you do me a favor?"

Cissnei: Cissnei looked up at him and nodded.

Rude: "Can you watch out for my fiancé? And make sure he goes to see Dr. Crescent about his leg?" He knew it wasn't the best way to put these things forward, but he had to leave or he'd miss his boat. "I've got a mission to do and I need to leave right now. But I really wanted to see how the two of you were doing." Rude smiled at her and the baby.

Cissnei: Cissnei smiled and nodded, "Sure thing Rude." She took it in stride that Reno and Rude were engaged but she'd get the deal with Reno's leg out of him once Rude was gone.

Rude: Rude turned and smiled down at Reno before gathering him up in a steamy kiss, "I'll see you when I get back Love."

Reno: Reno's face was every possible shade of red. He did NOT just do that. Not knowing how to react, Reno simply nodded wide eyed. "Kay." he peeped.

Rude: Rude nodded in parting to Cissnei and Elsa, kissed Reno again quickly and then left the room. He hurried down to his car and sped off to his first mission objective.

Cissnei: Cissnei grinned, she liked that happy look on her brother's face, even if it was currently a bit dumbfounded. "So what's the deal with your leg space cadet?"

Reno: "I uh, well...The um...the mission I-" Reno face-palmed himself and cleared his throat, trying to get his brain function back. "That mission I went on went belly up fast. The intel we got was all for a set up and I..." The Turk pulled his pant leg up to show his sister, rather that explain the troubling ordeal all over again. "Long story, short: Bombs and limbs don't mix unless it's in a puddle o' blood." He shrugged, trying to act as though it wasn't a big deal. He didn't want this meeting to be about his leg. He wanted it to be about happier news and to talk about how much he was looking forward to spending time with Elsa. The redhead blushed again, not sure how to feel that everything was now out in the open. The proposal, his leg, everything. "So, uh...yeah. Pretty crazy day?"

Cissnei: Cissnei giggled, "Well as long as you're okay. What's this about seeing Lucrecia? And you can pull over another chair you know."

Reno: Reno did just that and sat down. "I gotta see Lu so she can give me my permanent leg. This one's just a temp." The redhead figured since thinking of his injuries only upset him, he'd change the subject. "So, how have ya been holdin' up? Tired no doubt but ya seem pretty bright today." he said with a smile. "Also..." Reno looked at Elsa and wished Rude could have stayed a while longer to hold her. "May I?" he asked, looking back to his sister for permission to /finally/ hold his niece and confirm once and for all that she was happy and content.

Cissnei: Cissnei grinned wide, "Been fine. Can't wait to get out of the hospital though. But I guess we'll be out in a couple of days." She put the now empty bottle on the table beside the bed and reached Elsa out toward Reno.

Reno: Reno hesitated, feeling as though he might break his niece like she was made of glass, not to be handled without care. He ever so carefully pulled her to his chest and felt his heart swell when she reached up, touching his face with her soft little hands. The Turk smiled and swallowed the lump that kept building in his throat. "She's...heh. She's perfect, Cess." Reno felt a small tear well up and roll down his cheek. He smiled and laughed, wiping it away. "Sorry. *sniffle* Just can't believe that I finally get to hold her. She looks just like m-" The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He didn't bother holding his tears back now. He simply held her tightly, rocking her in his, and hummed the only song he could remember his mother sang to he and Cessnei before bed.

Cissnei: Cissnei smiled a little as Reno seemed to fall apart, she'd seen it to, how Elsa looked so much like their mother. She blamed Genesis for that. As the tune from her childhood filtered through the room her lip quivered and she reached for Genesis's hand. The contact woke the man from his sleep and he came too with a sleepy smile. He looked up at Cissnei and then over to the sound he heard and saw Reno holding his daughter.

Genesis: He gripped Cissnei's hand and asked the question he'd been waiting for for a couple of years now. "Hey Reno? Can I marry your sister?"

Reno: Reno's gaze went from calm to one of shock. He stared at Genesis, his emerald eyes as wide as ever. "Wha-I-bu-you-" He tried to filter the question through his head but it just wasn't computing. He was pretty surprised Genesis was respectful enough to actually ask /him/ for her hand. Then again, he couldn't exactly ask their father. A feeling of sadness, happiness, and pride mixed in his heart all at once. He was saddened by the memory of his father's death but knowing he was now trusted with the care of Cessnei's wellbeing was in all honesty a major honor to him. Reno looked Genesis in the eye and spoke softly, not wanting to disturb Elsa. "Ya promise to put her before everything else in yer life, promise yer gonna keep her safe, even if it means putting yer life on the line, and keep her happy, then yes. I'd be more than happy to have ya in the family." It was actually much harder to accept than he thought but maybe that's how every FATHER felt when they had to answer that question. He felt like he had to share Cessnei and entrusting her wellbeing to ANYONE, no matter how good they were, was difficult.

Genesis: Genesis smiled, "Oh trust me, I promise." He looked into Cissnei's tearful face and leaned over to kiss her softly. "She's the mother of my child and the holder of my heart." Cissnei grinned at him and ran her fingers through his auburn hair. Genesis just grinned and turned back to Reno, "I've actually wanted to ask you that for a couple of years now. But Cissnei was scared you wouldn't believe her. I'm glad you can finally be a family again."

Reno: Reno smiled meekly but bit his lip and carefully placed Elsa back in her mother's loving arms. "S'cuse me fer a sec." The Turk strode into a separate room, leaned against the wall, covered his mouth, and began sobbing. He wasn't sad in the least. He just didn't want to ruin their moment with tears. Hearing Genesis' confession and words about being a family once again brought up so many feelings and he just had to get away for a moment to collect himself. Rude was actually the only person he'd openly cry in front of and even that was only when he couldn't handle it.

Cissnei: Cissnei took Elsa back and she and Genesis shared a look as Reno left the room. She figured he was just as emotional about it all as she was, but she knew Reno never let anyone see that side of himself. "I'm glad he has Rude."

Genesis: Genesis smiled at her, "Me too. Those Turkey's will be just fine." Cissnei giggled at the name and settled back to wait for Reno to come back.

Rude: Elsewhere! Rude had sped through the streets of Midgar and out across the plains, cutting it close on making it to Junon on time for his ship to leave Two Gun took his car back to HQ for him. But make it he did, once his car was out of sight he purposefully forgot Reno and everything connected to him as a person. He had a mission to do, and only a Turk could do it.

Reno: Once Reno had gotten himself together, he wiped his eyes and walked back out to speak with Cessnei and Genesis a bit before he left for some personal business. He knew his eyes were still a bit watery but rubbing them would only make it worse so he just tried to ignore it. "Sorry 'bout that." he said and took his seat, speaking with the two about recent events and clearing everything up. "So, yeah. To recap, everything should be fine with my leg, me an' Rude are engaged, I'm singin' again, and I got a new kitten. Yeah, I think that's it." he said with a laugh but quickly took on a more serious air. "I'll come visit again soon but till I do-" Reno glanced at Genesis, giving him a stone cold glare. "Ya better watch over her." He kept his serious tone for a few seconds before playfully punching the ginger's shoulder. "Chill out, yo. I know ya got it covered." With that, Reno made his way out, nodding to the doctor on his way.

Genesis: Genesis shook his head playfully as Reno exited the room and turned to his fiancé, "So, that was a lot."

Cissnei: Cissnei nodded her head, her curls bouncing as she held her little girl to her chest. "It is, but it's all over now and we can just get past it and move on now."

Genesis: He nodded his head tiredly, "I've got a mission tomorrow, by the way and Sassafras, Donut and/or Puppy should be in to check on you periodically while I'm gone." Cessnei nodded her head.


	26. Chapter 33

Reno: As Reno made his way down town, he had stopped in a few places to grab what he needed for his little set up but was still missing the most important item. The Turk walked into a fancy store and looked around. Seeing the price on what he knew was going to be Rude's made the redhead's wallet ache. He shook his head and bought the item anyway and went back home with three large bags. He knew Rude had only left today and he didn't know when he'd be back but Reno wanted to have everything set.

Rude: Rude found his contact on the ship and was given the relevant information that he needed on his targets movement habits. After that he settled in to his bunk and played the vacationer he was supposed to be on this cruise line. Once they hit Wutai he'd get to the meat of the work he needed to do.

Reno: Noticing his leg was getting a bit stiff, Reno knew he would have to go to the lab about now anyway. He quickly checked on Tucker, refilled his water bowl, and gave him some attention. "I gotta go fer a bit a'right, big guy? I'll give ya more food tonight." The kitten swiped his paw at Reno's face. "Rude already fed ya, silly. Can't let ya get fat." Reno laughed and kissed his beloved pet before gathering his things and heading out to see Lucrecia, locking the door behind him.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia had just finished the finishing touches on Reno's new leg, she'd gotten the parts in late the night before and had immediately began assembly. She'd also taken into consideration the bruising that the temp leg had given Reno and made adjustments on the permanent model. She really hoped that it worked out well and wasn't too heavy for the man to move around fluidly with. She vaguely heard the door to her lab open but was too busy looking over the leg for anything wrong.

Reno: "Whoa!" Reno made his way over, amazed by Lucrecia's work. "That's crazy, Lu!" The woman was very talented and smart. The Turk couldn't even begin to understand the workings of the limb yet she was looking it over like it was a little science project. The leg looked exactly like it did in the images and Reno couldn't wait to try it out.

Lucrecia: A bit startled by Reno's reaction she turned to face him with a smile, attempting to get her heart rate to come back down to normal. "I'm glad you like the look of it. You ready to try it out?"

Reno: "Yeah." Reno took a seat and pulled his pant leg up, removing the prototype, and sighed happily then the pressure was off the few healing bruises left. Taking the new leg from Lucrecia, he carefully put it in place and attached it. This one was far lighter than the temp he'd been wearing and had far more motion. "That's crazy!" Reno was so excited by it, he almost forgot his question. "Oh yeah! Um, Valentine's day is soon an' I got some stuff fer Rude but...What do ya think I should do? I got some plans but I don't know if they're that great." Reno felt a woman may not be the best to ask but he really wanted things to be right when his fiancé returned. "I got a lot o' stuff I know he likes but..." The redhead snapped his fingers when an idea popped into his head. "Wanna help me plan some o' this out, Lu? I could use some."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia blinked for a moment before a beatific smile graced her face. "Oh Reno, you guys are so adorable! Of course! I'd love to help." The scientist's girly side was blatantly shining through. "However, let's test out your new leg first."

Reno: 'Adorable' wasn't a word Reno often used to describe he and Rude but if she was going to help, he wouldn't complain. The Turk stood and took a few steps, only to nearly fall flat on his face, not expecting this version to be so much easier to move. "Oh shit!" Reno braced himself on the desk and laughed then tried again. He'd gotten so used to putting extra strength in using the heavy prototype, it was like removing a leg weight you've worn for far too long. He kept trying until he felt he was confident enough he wouldn't have any issues with stumbling too much. "The pain's almost gone and it's way stronger! Thanks, Lu!" he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "It means a lot. It's been pretty rough." he said in a lower tone but cut himself off from those negative thoughts.

Lucrecia: The scientist blushed as Reno kissed her cheek, she'd been a bit worried when he'd first stood and hadn't seemed to be able to walk. But she hefted up the temp leg and realized there was a significant weight difference. She smiled matronly at him, "Life always has tuff spots. My son and his friends are going through one now as well. With me taking the Mako out of their systems, they are rather moody and tired all the time. I won't be able to take it out completely, if I did it may kill them. But I've made it so that it won't bend and break them anymore. And I've asked that if any mutations happen that they come and see me. My stupid husband." She sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, so this leg seems much better yes?"

Reno: Reno frowned, hearing Lucrecia's sad news. "Sorry, Lu." Though he would never be able to forgive Hojo and Lucrecia was 'connected', he still did feel for her. "I hope they're okay. But thanks. The leg's amazin'. Really, ya saved a lot more than my limb, yo." he said and pulled his pant leg back down, smiling at how realistic it was. It was so close to how his real one had looked. "Yer one talented gal!"

Lucrecia: "Oh it's alright dear, the boys will be fine. I'll make sure of that." Her mommy instincts were strong about it, "I'm glad you like your leg." Her blue eyes sparkled with accomplishment. "What is it exactly that you need help with Reno?"

Reno: Reno blushed. "Well, I got him an engagement ring an' some flowers cause he really likes that stuff, an' I gotta get some other stuff but what kinda stuff should I get to deck the place out?" It was strange openly talking about romantic things he was doing for his partner with others. "I kinda wanna get a decent outfit to wear cause I wanna take him out after he rests a bit. There's a restaurant he likes but it's pretty fancy an' I don't really have the right clothes fer a place like that. Oh, uh..." Reno blushed further. "Could ya help me set the place up? I ain't too good with that kinda stuff." He knew it was a lot to ask but he wanted Rude to come home to well, EVERYTHING!

Lucrecia: Lucrecia giggled, "Well I can certainly help you with designing what it should look like. Do you think it would be alright if Sephiroth helped? I know he's good friends with Rude and it would give me a reason to spend more time with my son outside of this damn lab. And picking cloths out for you shouldn't be a problem at all. You'll look good in just about anything I'd guess." She looked at him hopefully.

Reno: Reno wasn't expecting for Sephiroth to help but any help was welcome at this point. "Sure. I don't mind if he helps out." The Turk blushed at Lucrecia's compliment then shook his head. "So, when do ya think ya could help? Oh an' there are a few things I know Rude likes. He's a sucker fer candles an' stuff, an' uh...I kinda wanted to know where I could get a bunch o' roses fer cheap fer an idea I have." His face went cherry red even though the woman had no clue what he had planned.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia grinned, "Well that depends on what you would like to do first. I believe the SOLDIER's know of someone who can help with the flowers, I believe even Tseng knows her. She was supposed to be another of my..." She glared at the ring still sitting on her finger. She took it off and chucked it across the room where it pinged off the wall and settled on the floor somewhere out of sight. "One of Hojo's projects. But if you'd like to go shopping we can do that now or tomorrow, and Seph certainly doesn't have to come for that if you'd prefer he didn't. Decorating your apartment will require Seph I think, but he's not back from his mission until tomorrow."

Reno: Reno frowned sadly as the ring hit the floor. He could only imagine the pain she felt. Here he was, ready to give Rude his engagement ring and he couldn't imagine if he ever turned it down or threw it away. "Um, if yer too upset, we can go shoppin' fer the right clothes tomorrow." he said, not wanting to push her when she was in such obvious stress.

Lucrecia: "Oh no, I just... It's hard for me to believe that I married someone I actually hated. I've been in love with Vincent forever, but I felt undeserving of him because I couldn't save his father. But to learn of all the things Hojo did to our own son..." She heaved a huge sigh, "It is stressful, but I'm a scientist Reno, there isn't room for emotion usually. Becoming a mother had changed that for me, and I just get a little confused about how I'm supposed to react to things." Lucrecia smiled brightly at him, "But I am excited for you and Rude, for a while there I thought your guys' relationship was sinking, but the last week or so..." She grinned, "You've got so much to look forward to. It makes me happy."

Reno: "Sorry, Lu. No matter what job ya take, yer emotions will get to ya now an' then." he said with a smile. "Me an' Rude murder but the second we go through our apartment door, we just do our best to comfort each other." He chuckled to himself. "The only reason I know Rude's the right person is because he understands the stupidest things I do. I got so frustrated one day I tore up the living room and he just let me but..." The Turk sighed and his smile widened. "When I sat down and finally shut up, he just came over and held me fer two hours straight." The look on Reno's face made it obvious he was day dreaming. "He's not perfect but I wouldn't want him to be." His tone softened as he continued. "Could ya ask Seph to grab at least 100 roses? I know it's a lot but I can afford it. Fuck, I want him back." he mumbled to himself. Rude had left on long missions without him before but they were just recently engaged and Reno didn't want to be away from him for any longer than he had to.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia smiled at him fondly his description of Rude was exactly how she'd felt about Vincent. "He'll be back before you know it. He loves you very much Reno. And you're right about emotions, I just need to find a way to be okay with them I guess. I can certainly ask Seph about the roses though."

Reno: Snapping out of his daydream, Reno looked up and nodded at Lucrecia."So, is everything okay with my leg? If it is, I wanna get the shoppin' over with. I don't like it much." he said with a chuckle. In reality, he didn't dislike it, he loathed it. But he was going to make sure everything was set when his fiancé returned, no matter what. "Plus, I gotta take care o' Tucker. Don't want to leave him alone fer too long."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia smiled, "Well if it's not paining you any at the moment it should be fine. I say let's go shopping then. It'll be a test of your leg too."

Reno: Reno nodded and stood up, dusting off his suit out of habit, though there was nothing on it. He put his hands in his pockets and looked to Lucrecia. "Do ya know any good stores? I don't know what kinda clothes I'm really lookin' fer. They just need to be fancy I guess." The Turk couldn't seem to bring a smile to his face now. He kept wondering if Rude might have gotten hurt or something. He'd never had to keep a mission secret from him before so it was worrying. "Hey, Lu? Mind if I stop at Rufus' before we head out?" Reno had to know what was going on.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia shook her head, "No I don't mind. I know of a few where Sephiroth and Vincent like to go."


	27. Chapter 34

Reno: "Okay." Reno walked Lucrecia to Rufus' office but asked her to remain outside while he spoke with him. The Turk walked up to the man's desk far quieter than usual. "Hey sir? I was wonderin' if I could ask ya some questions."

Rufus: Rufus had been jacking himself off his office chair to the recorded images of Reno and Rude having sex the other day when his door opened. Quickly changing his screen and sliding his chair clear up under his desk in order to hide his large and very hard cock, he looked up to find Reno entering the room. He groaned inside and squeezed his dick reflexively. None of this showed on his face however as he looked boredly at Reno. "And what questions would those be?"

Reno: "I need to know why Rude couldn't tell me 'bout his mission." Reno didn't bother asking why his superior's face was red, pretty sure he already knew why. "Ya never made him keep his missions secret from me. I guess...I'm just worried." The Turk refused to look Rufus in the eye, knowing he seemed far too weak right now. He anxiously played with the ring box in his pocket as he waited for a response. He wanted to keep the ring at home but for some reason just felt he needed to keep it with him today.

Rufus: Rufus nodded his head, he could tell that Reno was serious, "He can't tell you because it's about you. And that's all you're getting. It's important that /you/ heal and that Rude doesn't lose his focus."

Reno: "Me?" Rufus had made the terrible mistake of underestimating his mind. Reno was able to put two and two together then slammed his hands down on the table. "He's part o' the mission to figure out who bombed me?! He could get killed tryin' to find a nutcase like that!" Reno saw the logic but couldn't bring himself to listen to it. Then again, he rarely did. "Ya sent my fuckin' fiancé on a mission to-" The Turk hung his head, knowing he'd be offended if Rude spoke about him this way. He'd have felt belittled or looked down on. "If he gets hurt...we're gonna need a new President." he said, quietly before glaring up and the blonde. "Ya'll be six feet underground if anything happens. Mark my words, Rufus ShinRa." Reno may have promised to protect Rufus but now things were different. Reno's only job now was to keep Rude safe and happy. Their jobs were important but it was nothing in comparison.

Rufus: Rufus knew that saying the mission had to do with Reno would give it away, that the redhead would have no problems understanding it. But he couldn't say anything else that wouldn't give even more away and would still be able to make Reno understand why he couldn't be part of it. "Yes. Look I'm not going to give you details Reno. All you need to know is that you being here safe and healing will help Rude stay focused." He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Honestly it's like you /are/ part of the mission. You're part in it is to stay safe and not contact Rude. And distraction could get him killed. I don't want that. None of us do, but he wouldn't let anyone else take the job." The blonde's piercing blue eyes speared into Reno's green ones, "You know that he will be randomly checking in, never with the same person, so that it seems like a regular phone call. He'll be asking about how you are and wanting an honest answer. We will not lie to him. So don't give us a reason to want to."

Reno: Rufus was lucky he didn't have spines like a porcupine. If he did, he'd be bristled further than a mangy dog with rabies. Reno understood and was going to make sure Rude had nothing to worry about. But he'd never wanted to kill Rufus so much in his life. "When he calls, tell'em I'm fine. Me an' Lu are headed out fer a walk to test my leg an' I'll be recordin' a bit." he said, trying his best to hold back the fury in his voice. If it wasn't for Rude's benefit, Reno would have floored his superior by now. "If he worries just say I was a bit upset he had to leave so soon after the engagement but I'll get over it an' I'm lookin' forward to him comin' home." he explained in a quieter tone. He stood taller again and glared down at the blonde. "An' tell'em Tucker's getting well taken care of."

Rufus: Rufus blinked a bit, Tucker? He nodded to Reno, "Of course." He could tell that Reno simply wanted him dead at the moment, but it honestly hadn't been /his/ idea to send Rude, the large man had threatened to end him just as surely as Reno had a few days before if he wasn't allowed to go. Rufus snorted suddenly, "All of my Turks want me dead lately. All I have to do is sit here and look pretty and they come up giving me death threats." He muttered to himself.

Reno: "Don't bitch. Yer the president, it comes with the territory, dumbass." With that, Reno shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. He spotted Lucrecia still patiently waiting for him and painted a smile on his face. "Ready to go?" he asked. He wasn't going to let his bad mood ruin Rude's mission, his plans, or even Lucrecia's day. He'd just get it out of his system while recording or something. It wasn't like Rude to be so insistent but he knew he wanted payback for what had happened. 'Yer such a dork.' the Turk thought and hoped nothing would happen to his fiancé.

Rufus: Rufus glared at his door for several minutes after Reno had vacated the area, "Stupid little shit. Hmphf!" He turned his screen back to the revenge sex scene and continued what he'd been doing before being so rudely interrupted.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia smiled, "Yep, I'm ready." She'd heard Reno's yelling and threats, but knew he was simply worried for his partner. She really hoped everything would be alright. "Would you like to take my car?"

Reno: "Sure." Reno followed the woman to the parking lot and politely opened the door for her. Normally he didn't bother with things like that but it seemed fair since she was being so helpful for something so important to him. He took the passenger's side, figuring Lucrecia knew the better stores and whatnot.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia got into her car and drove them out to a Men's Wear mall just off of Loveless Avenue. It was a place that Sephiroth and Vincent talked about frequently, so she hoped it would at least be a good place to start. "Alright, let's see if we can find you what you aren't even sure you're looking for!" She smiled brightly at Reno has she exited her car.

Reno: Reno sighed and hopped out. When he looked into the windows he saw all the clothing he was looking for but just like all the restaurants and whatnot, he felt very out of place at them. He shook his head and just tried to think. 'Just a suit an' a date in a fancy restaurant! It's no big deal!' he told himself but as he made his way in, he realized just how out of place he was. There were nothing but tall, well dressed, primp looking people inside. It made him feel like a fish out of water. He made his way over to some suits he noticed simply because they had some nice red accents on them. He focused on them instead of the people and waited for Lucrecia to catch up.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia locked her car and followed Reno in, it was easy to see that this kind of place made him fell out of place. Coming up behind him as he looked over a couple of suits she placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled up at him, "You really like the color red huh?"

Reno: Reno jumped the slightest when he felt a hand on his shoulder but smiled when he saw who it was. "Yeah. Not sure why. Just makes me happy." he said as he looked through the suits. "Hey, Lu? If I'm takin'em to a fancy place I should get him one too but I don't know if I can afford that before he gets back and I don't even know what he'd want. I should know that though, shouldn't I?" The Turk had a baffled and overwhelmed look on his face. "Oh man, I don't even know when he's gonna be back! What if he comes back sooner than expected?" Reno concern grew until a store clerk had to ask him to stop squeezing the suit so tightly but smiled and walked away, knowing how stressful some events could be. The redhead blushed and let the fabric go then bit his lip.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia trilled a laugh, "You'll be fine Reno, everything will be fine. Don't stress it. He only left a couple of hours ago, I doubt he'd finish that fast, no matter how good he is at his job." She smiled sweetly at him, let's go upstairs. I think you'll find exactly what you want." Lucrecia knew that they had rather cheap (at least for this kind of place) suits that were all red, she'd bought one for Vincent for the ShinRa ball last year. Though she suspected he didn't know it was from her, it had been red pants and jacket with a black shirt and silver tie, he'd looked amazing in it. She turned and point to a stairwell off to the side and looked at him expectantly.

Reno: Reno followed and looked around. He had an image in his head and he wanted to find it here. His mind set to work and he asked an employee for help now and then as much as he hated doing so and had gathered a few things to work within a few minutes. Reno entered the dressing room and was getting so frustrated with the clothing. It was one of the reasons his uniform was always so frumpy. He /hated/ all the buttons, zippers, and billions of other un needed things on most suits. After around the 8th try he finally found something. It was just black but the undershirt was a deep wine color. The only flashy bit of red on it was a red rose that was in the pocket. It wasn't that bad. He held his breath and stepped out to see what Lucrecia thought.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia looked up from her perusal of ties when Reno came out of the dressing room again, her eyes lighting up like Christmas. "Oh Reno! You look amazing!" He looked rather stately in the simple button down wine colored shirt and the black pants and coat, "I'll take it that you don't want one of these?" She held up a green tie, the same color as Sephiroth's eyes, with a giggle. "You'll need proper shoes though."

Reno: Reno was a bit surprised by her reaction but laughed and shook his head at the tie. "Shoes...right." He looked into the back of his old shoe but he'd had them for so long, the tag number was rubbed of. "Not sure what size an' what counts as a 'proper' shoe'?" He was happy he'd found the right suit but it was starting to get to him. There was so much to get done 'right' when it came to dressing up. At least in /his/ eyes. However, he went over to the shoe section and gave all of the boxes on the shelves a frown then sighed. "It's gonna be a long day."

Lucrecia: Lucrecia moved along with the redhead looking over the racks of shoes to find the perfect pair. After a moment she shook her head in disgust and moved to the side, finding a device used to measure shoe size. Clapping her hands she motioned Reno over, "You can find out your shoe size using this Reno. Then, would you want black shoes? Or maybe black with accents? Or red with accents or just plain red? Hmmm..." She frowned in thought looking him over and glaring back at the shoes around them.

Reno: Reno stared at the device for a moment and measured his foot. "Says nine an' a half." He looked up and sighed, not knowing where the right shoes were. "Well...uh. I don't know. Lu, I'm not the kinda person ya ask 'bout fashion, even if it's fer myself. I don't know half the stuff I should fer an occasion like this." The Turk took a seat in on a nearby bench and rubbed his temples in frustration. He hated stuff like this. All he wanted was to look nice when Rude came back, he didn't even know why he was this frustrated. Many people claimed they got frustrated while shopping but Reno was guessing it was more than that. The entire time, he was worrying about picking the wrong things, making a bad decision, or doing anything that his partner wouldn't like. Would he laugh if he looked strange in this suit? Would he be angry if his plans were too much after a long, tiring mission? It wasn't just the shopping and planning, it was worry over Rude's many possible reactions that had his tail in a knot. He'd been sitting there for so long, he didn't even realize he was actually the one putting his tail in a not. Reno looked over and realized he was playing with the end of his tail in a nervous manner, probably trying to calm himself. However, he didn't stop. It was helping a bit. He continued to fiddle with it and stared at a pair of horrid looking shoes in a box, near his foot in a daze.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia hid her grin behind her hand and let Reno stew for a bit while she found a good pair of shoes. While she herself thought ties were sexy she realized two things, first that Reno hated them with a passion, and second that Rude had actually told her that while ties could bring a suit together he liked it better when a man was confident enough to realize he didn't need one. She giggled a bit as she realized that the bald Turk had probably been picturing Reno when he'd said that. She found a good sturdy pair of black shoes with subtle deep red stitching, they were plain and simple and she felt they suited Reno perfectly. She turned back to Reno and sighed with exasperation, "At least put the ears away dear unless you'd like to attract majorly unwanted attention." She shook her head at him wryly, "What do you think of these? They're in your size." She held up the shoes for him to view.

Reno: Reno shook his head as his ears and tail disappeared. He looked up and nodded, taking the shoes from Lucrecia and trying them on. They fit well and were pretty comfortable. Standing up, the Turk went to the mirror to look at himself. He felt he looked kinda handsome in the clothes. Never in a million years did he think he would be standing in clothes like these, getting ready for a fancy dinner with a man he could call his fiancé. It was so surreal to him. "Hey, Lu?" he asked, never taking his eyes off his reflection. "What'll he say? Do ya think he'll be too tired after a mission fer this?" he asked with a sigh. "Maybe I should cancel an' wait till he's settled back in." The redhead took the ring box out of his pocket and peeked in at the silver ring that read 'Partners' for life' on the inside. "I just can't wait to give it to him...but maybe I'll have to."

Lucrecia: "Heh, and here I thought you were the one who knew him best." Lucrecia shook her head at him tapping her finger to her chin. "Rude would absolutely adore being taken out like this after a long mission. Sure he'd probably enjoy just spending time at home with you just as much, but he likes to be pampered once in a while. Just like he gets a thrill every time you allow him to pamper you. It's something that he enjoys. Plus you look stunning in that getup, you'll be lucky to last through dinner before he's attempting to get you out of it." She smirked at him through her image in the mirror.

Reno: Reno's face went crimson and he slowly turned to look at Lucrecia wide eyed. How did she know about Rude's tendency to dote on him? And since when did she say things like /that/ about other's relationships? "I-I do know him!" he protested and put the ring away to keep it safe but struggled simply to get it in his pocket because he had gotten so flustered with the woman's unexpected answer. Once he finally had the ring safe, he bit his lip nervously. "Well, if ya were doin' all this fer Vincent ya know ya would be just as wound up as me, Lu. I feel like I'm gonna puke just thinking about what could go wrong. Rude's usually my outlet fer my stress, so keeping a secret that causes stress from your stress reliever is...well...stressful." he said with a long sigh and plopped back down on the bench, resting his head on his knees and groaned, trying to deal with all the pressure his over-active mind was putting on him.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia smiled gently at the anxious young man as she knelt down beside him, "It's alright Reno. I thought my levity might take some of the stress away, however it clearly didn't." She made an apologetic face while rubbing his knee for a moment. Standing again she surveyed the redhead from head to toe, "Well we seem to have gotten you an outfit for the occasion. Does Rude have one?"

Reno: Reno looked up at Lucrecia when he felt her hand on his knee. He shook his head when she asked about Rude. "No. I want him to have a nice one too but I don't know what he'd like in one. We never talk about fashion or anythin' like that cause he knows I'd just fall asleep." he teased. "He usually stays professional 'bout his appearance but with his own twists like I do with my goggles an' stuff. He likes his gloves, shades, an' earrings. He never takes those out." he said, idly playing with his own at the thought of his love's many silver piercings and how he loved to toy with them. "So, maybe something simple but something that suits his personality?" Reno rubbed his head, getting frustrated with shopping as he always did. "I don't know." All he really wanted to do was go home, find Rude waiting there, and give him his gifts. He hated shopping, planning, or anything that required him to impress because then he had the pressure of possibly failing and getting the embarrassment. Plus, looking good in Rude's eyes was everything.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia nodded her head, "Well, do you know his size at all? If not we could call it a day for now, just purchase yours and come back with some of Rude's cloths tomorrow?" She suggested, "He might look really good in a navy suit as opposed to the black you guys wear as a uniform. I don't think he'd want to be reminded of work with something like this."

Reno: "Nah, I wanna get this all outta the way. Reno was trying to picture something Rude would look the best in but it was hard to pick just one thing. "Navy might be good. Now we just have to find a navy suit that'll be his style and fit'im." he said as he stood, taking a deep breath as if preparing for hell. The Turk walked around, not really sure where he was going until he found some suits that would at least fit Rude so he knew he was in the right section. Now he just had to find the right style for him. 'Would he want a tie or not?' he thought to himself. 'Would that only remind him o' work or would he not mind if it was a different color?' Reno looked to Lucrecia once she caught up, wondering if she'd have any suggestions. "Well? What're ya thinkin'?" he asked, gesturing to the many selections on the rack.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia wandered over after Reno and looked at the selection he stood before, they seemed like they would fit the big Turk so she gave the rows of suits a once-over. She shook her head with a pout. "I don't think we're going to find Rude's as a readymade ensemble. I think we'll just have to find the individual parts and make sure they're in his size." She floated over to a rack of silk shirts and flipped through them until she found a dark purple one, her eyes lit up and she took it off the rack and bounced back to Reno's side. Giddy she held it up for him to look at, "Wouldn't this be great!? Oh, we should see about finding some silver pants and a vest to go with it. I know I've heard Rude complain about the jacket, so we should probably not bother with one." She looked into Reno's green eyes with excited hope.

Reno: Reno took a step back when the excited woman came back but smiled and looked the shirt over. "It's totally him. I think silver would be good too. Just nothin' too 'flashy'." For once Reno's mind set in to gear on fashion and he was actually serious about it. He took the shirt and wandered over to the vests, looking them over. Eventually he found a vest with matching pants and smirked when he knew he found what he was looking for. The material was very soft as well. Reno couldn't wait to see Rude in it...and take him out of it. He snickered at the thought.

Lucrecia: Lucrecia clapped her hands as Reno accepted her idea, "Ooo, those will be perfect." She said over Reno's shoulder as he snickered quietly after finding what he was looking for. "Will he need shoes as well? Oh! And you'd better go change back into your cloths so they don't get taken. And so we can pay for what you're in when we're ready to go." She gave the man a smile as she moved in front of him.

Reno: Reno jumped a bit when she came up so suddenly. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she'd been taking lessons from Vincent on stalking. She was almost as quiet as a Turk herself until she spoke. "Good idea." Reno raised an eyebrow when she moved in front of him and blinked. "Somethin' on my face?"

Lucrecia: Shaking her head the woman simply held out her hands, "Nope nothing on your face."

Reno: Reno handed the items to Lucrecia and went back to the changing rooms to get back into his uniform. He folded his new suit up and came back out, quickly looking in his pockets to make sure the ring was still safe then followed the woman to pay for the clothing. Reno cringed when he saw the full price but paid. He wasn't exactly used to paying more than 10gil bucks on a shirt even though he had the money. He'd gotten very paranoid about how he spent his money after he and Rude joined ShinRa. He knew they could easily afford it, his brain was just pulling in the opposite direction. "Thanks." he said to the woman working the cash and left the store, gesturing for Lucrecia to follow. "Dear GAIA! Finally! I hate shopping so much!" he yelled at nothing, just happy he could let out all the frustration he'd built up in there. Now he just had to decorate, get 100 roses, arrange for a limo to take them to the restaurant, buy candles, and buy Rude's favorite wine. In reality it was really just because it was the only wine he liked. Reno didn't like wine but it seemed like the best drink for an occasion like this. He putt the suits in the back of Lucrecia's car and took his seat, sleepily sinking into it. "If Rude ever plans some big thing fer me, just tell'em to ferget it an' buy me a fuckin' cake! I wouldn't wish this on a dog. Then again, maybe it's my attention span." he said with a thoughtful expression.


End file.
